The head of UAE cybersecurity has said he expects a surge in attempted cyber crime after the visit of US President Donald Trump.
Online criminals tend to focus their attention on geopolitical events, said Dr Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, head of the UAE Cybersecurity Council, who expects Mr Trump's trip to the Emirates to be no different.
Criminals tend to launch disinformation campaigns on social media as well as co-ordinate attacks on critical infrastructure, Dr Al Kuwaiti told the World Police Summit taking place this week at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Mr Trump arrived in the UAE on Thursday for the final leg of his Gulf tour, which will conclude today.
Dr Al Kuwaiti pointed out that “the geopolitical events that happen around us”, such as Mr Trump’s Middle East tour, tend to shape cyber attacks, with malicious actors taking advantage of the global attention and heightened tension.
"We have more than 200,000 attacks on a daily basis. And this is an average, depending on many of those aspects that we actually have, depending on the geopolitical things that happen around us.
"For example, we have the visit of President Donald Trump. You will see there are many of those attacks, not only on the infrastructure itself, but on social media. Those who follow social media, they will see the misinformation, the disinformation.
“Critical infrastructure is the essence of our lives whether it’s energy, water, electricity, aviation, education or health care," he said. "Protecting these sectors is vital to our national security and must remain a top priority.”
Dr Al Kuwaiti called for deeper international collaboration and more awareness to confront the mounting risks posed by criminals online.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
AI threats to security
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) was a double-edged sword in cyber security as it was being used both to defend against and perpetrate attacks, Dr Al Kuwaiti said.
Criminals are using AI to uncover vulnerabilities, launch phishing campaigns and find zero-day exploits, a term used to describe security weaknesses previously unknown to a system's developers.
On the other hand, advanced AI tools are also being used to protect against these threats at the National Security Operations Centre, Dr Al Kuwaiti added.
“These AI tools offer speed, accuracy and efficient pattern recognition,” he said. “They operate autonomously and help analysts focus on more complex tasks by handling repetitive processes.”
Cybercrime alone caused $9.4 trillion in damages globally in 2023, he said, with estimates that figure could reach $10 trillion this year.
“We need society to be our first line of defence,” Dr Al Kuwaiti said. Recent updates to the Ministry of Education’s curriculum now include AI and cybersecurity, which he described as a significant step towards building national digital resilience.
“Our message is clear and simple," he added. "Let’s spread the cyber security culture. Let’s work together in really taking down any of those adversaries who wants harm in this technology.”
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
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