The UAE Cyber Security Council has identified human error as the leading cyber risk. The recent guidelines focus on improved cybersecurity practices to prevent data breaches across organizations. The Council stresses that cloud storage does not inherently secure data, particularly when files are transmitted or shared across networks.
The UAE Cyber Security Council has sharpened its focus on the gap between available security tools and everyday user behavior. While organizations continue to invest in cloud infrastructure and digital collaboration tools, the Council, in its latest bulletin of the ‘Cyber Pulse’ campaign, points to evidence that basic lapses, such as poorly managed access permissions, remain a primary source of vulnerability.
The report cites that 68% to 77% of privately shared files may still be accessible to unintended users. It highlights the limits of default privacy settings and the illusion of control in cloud environments.
The guideline focuses on strong, frequently updated passwords, two-factor authentication, restricted sharing links, and routine audits of privacy settings. However, the emphasis lies in consistency rather than innovation.
“Additional measures, such as securing Wi-Fi networks, maintaining up-to-date software, limiting app permissions, and using VPNs on public networks, reflect a layered defense model that depends heavily on user compliance,” the report mentioned.
The Council also highlights data hygiene as a security practice. Deleting unused files and links, along with regular backups and disciplined database management, are framed as critical steps in reducing the attack surface.
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Dr Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, revealed the scale of the activity during a public awareness session in Fujairah. He noted that attacks had intensified further during recent tensions.
“What was once largely a landscape of direct and isolated hacking attempts has shifted into something more complex. Today’s attacks are layered and coordinated, targeting institutions, systems and individuals simultaneously through multiple channels,” he said, according to Emarat Al Youm.
“The UAE is fending off around 800,000 cyberattacks each day, even during periods of relative calm, underscoring the persistent and evolving nature of digital threats,” a senior official has said.
Now in its second year, the ‘Cyber Pulse’ campaign signals a broader shift: from infrastructure-led cybersecurity to user-centric risk mitigation. The message is clear: as digital systems become more distributed and cloud-dependent, the weakest link is less likely to be the technology itself and more likely to be the everyday decisions made by its users.
Authorities have also been tracking a wide ecosystem behind these operations. According to Al Kuwaiti, hundreds of hostile actors have been identified, including 350 organised groups, 320 amateur hackers, and 120 entities linked to malicious software activity. Around 5,000 channels on Telegram have also been monitored as part of ongoing surveillance efforts.