UAE Records 640,000 Cyberattacks in One Day Amid Iran Conflict
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — WEB DESK: The United Arab Emirates recorded around 640,000 cyberattacks in a single day amid heightened regional tensions linked to the Iran conflict, with attackers attempting to penetrate critical infrastructure including energy, government and financial systems, according to the country’s cybersecurity chief.
Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, chairman of the UAE Cybersecurity Council, disclosed the scale of the attacks during public remarks and subsequently provided further details in an interview with CNN.
Al Kuwaiti said the 640,000 incidents were recorded on September 15, adding that the volume remained below an earlier peak of almost 800,000 attacks in a single day in April.
The latest figure nevertheless represents an exceptionally high level of hostile cyber activity. Express Urdu reported on Friday that UAE authorities remain concerned about attempts to target vital national infrastructure as regional tensions continue.
Energy, Government and Financial Systems Targeted
According to Al Kuwaiti, three broad areas have been particularly exposed.
The first includes energy infrastructure such as oil and gas, electricity and water systems. Government digital infrastructure represents another major target, while financial services have also faced attacks.
Al Kuwaiti said the UAE had proactively detected the attacks, describing them as more sophisticated than routine distributed denial-of-service activity. He specifically cited threats involving ransomware, supply-chain attacks and malware targeting critical infrastructure.
The UAE Cyber Security Council has urged businesses and institutions to remain vigilant despite fluctuations in the daily volume of attacks.
Cybersecurity experts told The National that attackers can establish a presence inside systems and remain dormant before activating malicious operations later, meaning a temporary reduction in visible attacks should not be interpreted as an end to the threat.
UAE Cyber Chief Points to Iran and IRGC
Al Kuwaiti has also publicly alleged that Iran is one of the main actors involved in cyberattacks against the UAE, specifically pointing to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“There are great footprints that show who is actually behind those attacks,” Al Kuwaiti told CNN, before naming Iran and alleging that the IRGC was behind many aspects of the cyber activity.
The attribution should be treated as an allegation by the UAE’s cybersecurity chief, rather than an independently established finding. The sources reviewed for this report did not provide a public technical forensic report establishing Iranian responsibility for all 640,000 recorded incidents.
This distinction is particularly important because the figure represents the overall volume of detected attacks and should not be interpreted to mean that UAE officials attributed every one of the 640,000 incidents to Iran or the IRGC.
Cyberattacks Peaked Near 800,000 in April
The latest figures also show that the UAE has faced even greater volumes during earlier stages of the conflict.
Al Kuwaiti said attacks reached almost 800,000 in one day in April, while the UAE had previously been dealing with roughly 200,000 to 600,000 daily attacks following the escalation of the conflict.
In August, UAE cybersecurity teams said they had detected and contained organised attacks targeting the aviation, energy and education sectors before they disrupted essential services.
The sustained campaign illustrates how cyber operations have become another dimension of regional confrontation alongside conventional military, drone and missile threats.
AI Accelerating Cyber Threats
Artificial intelligence is also changing the scale and speed of cyber operations.
Al Kuwaiti said AI had accelerated attacks considerably, allowing malicious actors to expand the sophistication and pace of their operations. At the same time, the UAE is using AI for detection, defence and disruption of cyber threats.
Other UAE cybersecurity officials have similarly warned that attackers are using AI to automate activities that previously required substantially more manual effort.
Human behaviour remains another significant vulnerability. Al Kuwaiti said more than 85% of cyber threats begin with an incorrect or unintended click by a user, stressing that public and employee awareness remains a critical first line of defence.
Cybersecurity specialists have consequently urged UAE organisations to maintain regular security audits, penetration testing, employee awareness programmes and continuous monitoring of critical systems.
With regional geopolitical tensions still elevated, authorities have warned businesses against treating temporary declines in attack volumes as evidence that the threat has passed.
