The Evolving Threat and Expanding Ransomware Response in the UAE

What role does the UAE play in raising awareness about cyberattacks?

The UAE has made the digital economy a national priority, with technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, fintech, IoT and 5G rapidly gaining public and private sector attention, but this also means it now faces heightened risk of being targeted There are more cyber threats than ever before. In sum, the recent attacks in the UAE may be a harbinger of things to come, and the country’s response could serve as a template for how the region should address this growing security concern in the short and long term.

Recently, the UAE established the UAE Cyber ​​Security Council. The committee was formed to formulate cybersecurity policy, provide a secure cyber infrastructure, and ensure rapid response to combat cybercrime. The UAE has recently been shifting towards a “service-centric approach”, striking preliminary deals with a number of companies including Huawei, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Deloitte, in an ambitious goal to fight cybercrime. With this strategy, organizations take a service-based approach to cybersecurity rather than a technology-centric approach. Therefore, they outsource security operations to professionals and enter into agreement-based service-level contracts.

In addition, the strategy reduces expenses, improves efficiency, and allows companies to focus on their core competencies.

Specific objectives of these agreements, as well as a March 2022 agreement with UAE-based Cyber ​​Protection X, include strengthening local cybersecurity knowledge, expanding cyber training capabilities, exchanging best practices and boosting research and innovation in the industry. These collaborations are expected to accelerate the UAE’s transition to a digital economy and strengthen its cybersecurity infrastructure.