Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The UAE Cyber Security Council, Microsoft, and Core42 have teamed up to strengthen the country’s cyber defences as rapid adoption of artificial intelligence creates new vulnerabilities and the UAE ranks among the countries most frequently affected by cyber activity.
The collaboration will bring Microsoft’s AI-powered cybersecurity capability, MDASH, to UAE government entities, helping security teams identify vulnerabilities, prioritise risks and respond more quickly to emerging threats.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening national cyber resilience while supporting the country’s continued digital and AI transformation.
The move comes as Microsoft’s Digital Defence Report 2026 highlighted the changing nature of cyber risks as AI becomes more deeply integrated into government, businesses and critical systems.
Microsoft data showed the UAE ranked sixth globally and second in the Middle East and Africa among countries where customers were most frequently impacted by cyber activity during the first half of 2026.
According to data accompanying the report, the UAE accounted for 2.8% of the total impact recorded among the countries shown.
The United States topped the ranking with 25.5%, followed by Israel at 7.6%, Ukraine at 4.8%, and the United Kingdom at 3.8%. India and Japan each accounted for 2.5%.
The report, based on Microsoft’s visibility across the global digital ecosystem and more than 165 trillion security signals each day, identified three major shifts shaping cybersecurity in 2026: AI is accelerating both attacks and defence, identity remains the main route used by attackers to gain access to organisations, and cyber incidents are increasingly creating consequences beyond their original targets.
Microsoft said AI is changing the dynamics on both sides of cybersecurity.
Threat actors are using the technology to operate more quickly and at greater scale, while defenders are also deploying AI to detect, investigate and disrupt threats faster.
At the same time, the expansion of AI systems is creating additional data, identities and access points that organisations must secure, increasing the importance of building cybersecurity into AI deployments from the outset.
Director of Cyber Security at Microsoft UAE, Yazan Khasawneh, said the country was entering a phase in which AI was becoming part of the operating model of government and business.
“Cybersecurity therefore cannot be treated as a separate layer added after transformation takes place,” he said, adding that security had to be designed into the way organisations adopt AI, manage identities, protect data and maintain continuity.
Identity-based attacks remain a particular concern. Microsoft said attackers continue to exploit accounts, credentials and people to gain access to organisations, making stronger authentication and protection of high-value identities critical priorities.
Cyber risks are also becoming increasingly interconnected, with the compromise of an identity, supplier, platform, or service provider potentially affecting organisations and sectors beyond the initial target.
The report called for stronger authentication, reduced reliance on passwords, faster detection and response, regular incident-response exercises, and systems designed to maintain critical operations during disruption.
The UAE’s latest cyber initiative seeks to address some of these risks through MDASH, which uses advanced AI models and automated analysis to identify vulnerabilities and improve security posture at speed and scale.
Under the proposed collaboration, the UAE Cyber Security Council will support government adoption and responsible use of AI for cybersecurity through the country’s National AI Test and Validation Lab.
Core42, a G42 company, will provide onboarding, implementation and capacity-building support through its Sovereign Public Cloud offering in partnership with Microsoft, with a focus on security, privacy and operational resilience.
Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, said code safety was “a national priority and a cornerstone of cyber resilience.”
“As AI becomes integral to government and critical services, securing the code that underpins these systems must be built in from the outset, not treated as an afterthought,” he said.
Executive Vice President, Security, and Emerging Technologies at Microsoft, Hayete Gallot, said governments were increasingly looking to AI as a “force multiplier” to protect countries, critical assets and people, while the partnership would help government organisations strengthen resilience and prepare for emerging threats.
The rollout is planned in phases, beginning with awareness sessions, pilot projects, technical workshops and onboarding for government entities.
