UAE cyber systems block 90,000 attacks on World Governments Summit

Dubai: Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity Council for the UAE Government, said the UAE’s cyber security systems successfully blocked and neutralised 90,000 cyberattacks and intrusion attempts targeting the digital networks of the World Governments Summit. 

Speaking during a joint session organised by the UAE Ministry of Finance and the GCC Secretariat General on 3 February 2026, Al Kuwaiti warned that escalating cyber threats have become a material factor affecting investor confidence and the stability of economic and financial systems.

He said cyberattacks monitored in the UAE can exceed 200,000 attempts a day, stressing that effective defence now goes beyond reactive responses. 

Instead, it relies on analysing big data and building early-warning systems that enhance predictive capabilities and contain threats before their impact widens. Cybercrime cases, he added, have risen to more than 20,000 incidents.

Al Kuwaiti noted that some attacks are now orchestrated using advanced tools, including AI-powered agents, enabling entire attack chains, from malware creation to activation, extortion schemes and fraudulent communications.

 This evolution, he said, requires institutions, particularly in the financial sector, to raise their levels of preparedness and digital resilience.

He explained that Gulf states have strengthened their ability to manage cyber risks through three core pillars: investing in human capital and national talent, diversifying technology rather than relying on a single system, and enhancing governance through shared Gulf frameworks and strategies. 

These measures, he said, have improved data sharing, cyber threat intelligence exchange and the speed of decision-making.

Cyber security, Al Kuwaiti concluded, is no longer a standalone technical issue but a central pillar of financial and monetary stability. 

“A single cyberattack can undermine trust and affect investment,” he said, calling for more joint cyber exercises, expanded public-private partnerships and faster exchange of threat indicators to safeguard the region’s digital economic infrastructure.

The session also highlighted broader indicators of Gulf economic integration. Officials noted that the GCC’s combined GDP exceeds $2.1 trillion, with sovereign wealth fund assets estimated at $4.4 trillion. 

Commercial bank assets have grown to around $3.5 trillion, while intra-regional trade has expanded at an annual rate of nearly 10 per cent. Non-oil sectors now account for an average of about 60 per cent of GDP, with inflation remaining stable at between 2 and 3 per cent despite global shocks.