MIDDLE East cyber clashes are intensifying, with UAE breach attempts rising sharply in the wake of regional tensions. In February 2026, the UAE experienced daily breach attempts ranging from 90,000 to 200,000 before the start of renewed conflict, and a few weeks after military operations began those daily figures surged to an average of 600,000 to 800,000, according to Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, chairman of the UAE Cyber Security Council.
The mix of attacks has shifted from hacktivist denial‑of‑service boasts to more serious intrusions and compromises, with CypherLeak noting UAE activity rose around 15 times above normal, Saudi Arabia 25 times, and Qatar more than quadrupled. The report highlights a mobilization effect whereby hacktivists, opportunistic cybercriminals, and Iran‑aligned actors are now implicated by threat researchers, potentially turning cyber operations into a pressure tool in broader diplomacy.
Analysts question whether these elevated levels will persist beyond the current conflict, suggesting a possible new normal in the baseline of cyberattacks for the Gulf region. AI tools are increasingly used to triage detections, but experts warn that attackers may exploit vulnerabilities at scale, emphasising the ongoing risk to critical sectors such as finance, telecoms and energy-adjacent infrastructure.