UAE says it foiled cyberattacks targeting vital sectors

The United Arab Emirates said Monday that it had foiled cyberattacks targeting the aviation, energy and education sectors in the Gulf country.

The UAE Cybersecurity Council said in a statement carried by the official news agency WAM that national systems detected and thwarted “advanced and organized cyberattacks targeting the aviation, energy and education sectors in the country.”

“The intrusion attempts were contained before the attacking parties were able to achieve their objectives or affect the continuity of vital systems and services,” it said.

The council said the attacks used multiple routes and methods, including attempts to breach systems and digital infrastructure, targeting accounts and operational data, as well as targeted phishing campaigns.

“The attacks also included attempts to exploit users as an entry point into the targeted environments,” it added.

“Cybersecurity teams were able to detect these activities, repel them, track their paths and indicators of compromise, and take technical measures to neutralize the threats and prevent their spread,” the council said.

The council did not identify the parties behind the attacks or their source, and did not specify when they were carried out or how long they lasted.

The announcement came amid what the UAE says is a notable rise in cyber threats and attacks targeting vital sectors in the country since the start of 2026.

In July, the UAE announced that it had foiled cyberattacks targeting the financial sector, using methods including phishing, exploitation of vulnerabilities and AI-supported malware.

​​​​​​​In February, the UAE Cybersecurity Council also said it had foiled cyberattacks targeting vital sectors and using ransomware, which encrypts data and demands money in exchange for decryption.