Cyberattacks surge across UAE amid Iran conflict, businesses face disruptions and rising risks

Summary

Earlier this month, the Dubai Land Department (DLD), Dubai Courts Department (DCD), and Road and Transport Authority (RTA) were among entities that faced cyber incidents. More recently, Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas authority, and the ministry of climate change and environment have also dealt with attempted breaches, as per people aware of developments. Also Read: Indian cyberwatchdog warns MSMEs are facing higher AI-driven cyber attack threats The Impact Business executives highlighted the impact felt through delays, bottlenecks, and rising uncertainty around access to records and payment systems. "There is no ceasefire in cyber warfare," said the founder of an India-based investment firm with operations in the UAE. "Some port systems have been down for days. Court matters are delayed because databases have been disrupted. In some places institutions are still trying to determine whether records have been fully restored," he said. Cyberattacks surge across UAE amid Iran conflict, businesses face disruptions and rising risks A founder of a financial services startup said that that so far, the breaches have only caused temporary operational disruption rather than lasting damage, but concerns remain elevated over the risk of more serious attacks targeting core databases or business continuity systems. In an advisory, the UAE Cyber Security Council said that one in three individuals may be exposed to digital identity theft, following a 32% increase in cyberattacks recorded in 2026 so far. "The recent cyber disruptions affecting systems linked to Dubai courts highlight growing vulnerabilities in highly digitised legal ecosystems. With the UAE facing cyber threat attempts daily, and Dubai courts handling tens of thousands of civil and commercial cases annually, even short-term outages could impact a significant caseload, potentially delaying 15-25% of active digital filings and hearings during peak periods," said Sanskruti Chaturvedi, practicing corporate law advisor & co-founder, barrister & CA, Global Advisory Firm, UAE. Businesses must strengthen cybersecurity frameworks, maintain offline documentation, and activate continuity plans, she added. Lack of Confidence Salem Aljneibi, cyber security specialist at Etimad Strategic Security Solutions, said the larger risk was not only technical disruption but erosion of confidence in digital-first public infrastructure. "When entities like DLD or DCD face disruptions, the impact does not remain within those systems," he said. "Businesses and individuals that rely on those platforms for transactions, licensing, and regulatory approvals experience delays that accumulate quickly." He added that much of the UAE's private sector is digitally integrated with government infrastructure through shared portals, APIs, and mandatory service platforms. "A breach or disruption at one point creates uncertainty across that entire chain," he added. While government administration platforms have been the most hit, other targeted industries include ecommerce, IT services, event services, automotive, building and construction, luxury goods and jewellery, and oil and gas. Banks and financial institutions remain among the most targeted segments. Experts noted that while lenders in the UAE have invested significantly in cybersecurity defences, the nature of attacks is becoming broader and more sophisticated. "Financial institutions have long been prime targets, but what has shifted during current conflict period is the convergence of technical intrusion with AI-generated phishing, business email compromise, and coordinated financial fraud running as part of same campaigns." said Aljneibi. Attackers are not choosing between hacking systems and defrauding customers. They are doing both simultaneously, he said. Demand for Professionals The surge in threats has also triggered a hiring in the cybersecurity space in the region with demand rising sharply over the last one month for security operation centre analysts, digital forensics and incident response specialists, threat hunters, incident response teams, and cybersecurity leaders. "Organisations are now dealing with constant phishing attempts, AI-driven attacks, and malware, identity thefts, and critical infrastructure hiring has accelerated in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia," a Dubai-based HR professional said. Also Read: Anthropic Mythos: Firms with access to model say speed of response, not uncovering flaws, is key The attacks are also reshaping data infrastructure strategies. Following damage in March Amazon Web Services Data Centres in the UAE and Bahrain in March, several companies have accelerated plans to migrate data to centres in India and Europe. "Earlier the UAE Central Bank had restricted data movement outside the country. But now they have been granting approvals on a case-by-case basis. It is no longer feasible for some businesses to rely solely on local data centres," said Rohit Arora, CEO and co-founder, Biz2X and Biz2Credit. Rising Attack Volumes A recent report by threat-monitoring firm Cypherleaks suggested that the regional cyber threat has evolved significantly over the recent weeks. Comparing activity between two periods, February 28-March 3 and between March 28 and April 6, the firm said that the landscape shifted from a relatively small-volume, actor-led hacktivist campaign into a larger but more diffuse cyber-threat environment. In first phase, Iran-aligned groups such as 313 Team, DieNet, Fatimion Cyber Team, ALTOUFAN TEAM, and FaD Team claimed attacks on GCC government portals, airports, telecoms, media sites, and selected private entities. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)