The United Arab Emirates detected and contained coordinated cyberattacks targeting aviation, energy and education networks since February. Officials also reported a sharp rise in daily hacking attempts.
The UAE Cyber Security Council said attackers have made about 800,000 attempts a day since February. That is four times the level recorded before the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US began. Officials and cybersecurity firms say artificial intelligence is changing the pace of these attacks. Hackers are using AI to create phishing messages, identify software weaknesses and develop malicious tools faster than before.
Ram Narayanan, Middle East country manager at Check Point Software Technologies, said, “The biggest change is speed. In some cases, the time between a vulnerability being disclosed and attackers trying to exploit it has fallen from days to just hours.”
AI is now being used across several stages of cyber operations. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Iranian-linked groups have used the technology to help select targets, create fake messages and develop malicious code. The attacks on the UAE have been linked to actors from about 20 countries and more than 40 organizations, UAE Cyber Security Council head Mohamed Al Kuwaiti said in April. Some of the groups have links to Iran.
Palo Alto Networks has also reported an increase in AI-assisted scams, password theft and fake corporate websites across the Gulf. Telecom companies, energy providers and government services are seen as attractive targets. The UAE has reported several types of cyber incidents this year. In February, authorities said they stopped attacks targeting government platforms that involved attempts to deploy ransomware.
Check Point separately linked attempts to access internet-connected cameras across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain to Iranian hackers. The campaign began on February 28, the day the conflict started. In April, Al Kuwaiti said the UAE was facing around 800,000 hacking attempts every day. In July, national teams detected attacks against financial companies involving phishing, software vulnerabilities and malicious code. In August, authorities said coordinated attacks targeting aviation, energy and education were detected and contained before they could spread.
The UAE is also using AI to strengthen its response. The country launched the Cyber Factory initiative on May 12 with the Cyber Security Council and CPX Holding. The program aims to develop AI-based security systems that can identify and respond to threats faster. It is also part of the UAE's broader effort to build domestic cybersecurity capabilities.
Security analysts continue to monitor threats through a national operations centre. The teams share information with government agencies, banks and external cybersecurity companies. Trellix researchers said Iranian-linked groups are testing AI to help write intrusion tools. Human operators still select targets and decide when attacks are launched.
The changing tactics point to a faster cyber threat environment. UAE authorities are now seeking to match that speed with automated detection and AI-supported defence systems.
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