Cyberattacks Expected To Surge In UAE During Ramadan As Online Shopping Peaks

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Cybersecurity analysts are warning UAE businesses to brace for a spike in cyberattacks during Ramadan, a period when the country sees one of its sharpest annual surges in online activity.

New data from cybersecurity firm Qrator Labs shows that the holy month's accelerating shift toward digital commerce continues to create fertile ground for DDoS attacks, bot-driven disruptions and an array of online scams.

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The warning comes amid evidence that attackers are timing their campaigns to coincide with seasonal consumer behaviour. During Q1 2025-which included Ramadan-e‐commerce ranked among the three most targeted industries for distributed denial‐of‐service attacks, accounting for 21.5 per cent of all L3–L4 incidents and 14.4 per cent of L7 application‐layer attacks, according to Qrator Labs. Automated malicious traffic followed a similar pattern: bot activity in March 2025 surged 28 per cent from the month before, with online retail platforms absorbing 40.7 per cent of detected bot traffic.

The most intense episode occurred on 9 March 2025, when an e‐commerce platform was bombarded with up to 56,500 automated requests per second, briefly overwhelming systems during peak Ramadan shopping.

For UAE retailers, the threat grows each year as consumers increasingly favour digital purchases during Ramadan nights. Market research from 2025 found online grocery and food sales rising 11 per cent during the month, while fashion purchases jumped 46 per cent, and cosmetics surged 64 per cent, driven largely by Eid‐related spending. Analysts say these compressed, high‐value sales windows present prime opportunities for cybercriminals looking to inflict maximum financial damage.

“When large volumes of revenue are compressed into a short seasonal window, it creates exceptionally strong incentives for malicious interference,” said Andrey Leskin, CTO of Qrator Labs.“Disrupting an online platform even briefly during these high‐activity periods can translate into tangible commercial gain.” (from the document)

Independent cybersecurity specialists echo that concern. UAE authorities have already been blocking up to 200,000 cyberattack attempts daily, with 128 confirmed incidents recorded so far in 2026-most linked to financially motivated groups. Meanwhile, experts warn that phishing scams, fake shopping websites and fraudulent donation campaigns tend to spike during Ramadan as criminals exploit late‐night browsing and increased generosity.

Leskin cautioned that traditional protections such as CAPTCHA are becoming less effective as attackers blend malicious bot activity into traffic patterns resembling genuine human behaviour. He urged businesses to adopt intent‐based analysis tools capable of filtering out malicious activity without disrupting legitimate shoppers.

“With digital activity surging during Ramadan, maintaining availability becomes essential to preserving both revenue flow and customer trust,” he said.

As UAE residents prepare for Ramadan 2026, analysts stress that both businesses and consumers will need heightened vigilance-because while the month brings reflection and generosity, cybercriminals tend to see it as peak season.

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