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The UAE and Saudi Arabia together accounted for half of all cyberattacks recorded across the Gulf region in the first half of 2026
The UAE and Saudi Arabia absorbed half of all cyberattacks recorded across the Gulf in the first half of 2026, Khaleej Times reported. The finding is based on a study by information security firm Positive Technologies. The UAE alone accounted for 35 per cent of incidents, making it the region's most targeted country.
How many cyberattacks hit the UAE and Saudi Arabia in 2026?
The UAE and Saudi Arabia together made up 50 per cent of all recorded Gulf cyberattacks in the first half of 2026. Iran followed with 17 per cent of incidents, while Saudi Arabia recorded 15 per cent on its own. Nearly all of this activity, 96 per cent, occurred in the first quarter alone.
Why did cyberattacks spike early in 2026?
Researchers linked the first-quarter spike to heightened malicious activity during the peak of regional conflict earlier in the year. Many attacks targeted government and state organizations during this period. State actors accelerated these efforts following regional tensions, according to Alexey Lukatsky, Chief Evangelist Officer at Positive Technologies.
Speaking on the sidelines of Gisec Global, Lukatsky said the UAE and Saudi Arabia drew heavy attention due to their range of sectors, including IT, telecom, and banking firms.
Which sectors were targeted most in the Gulf?
Government agencies bore the brunt of successful attacks, accounting for 27 per cent across the Gulf. Attacks with no specific sector focus followed at 23 per cent. The industrial sector ranked third at 17 per cent, with half of those incidents hitting organizations in Saudi Arabia.
What tactics do Gulf cyberattackers use most?
Lukatsky identified three tactics that actors have relied on most over the past couple of years. These include exploiting software and hardware vulnerabilities, deploying malware boosted by artificial intelligence, and phishing through email, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps.
Vulnerability exploitation was the leading attack method in the region, used in 38 per cent of incidents. This tactic appeared across nearly every country covered in the research. Positive Technologies attributed the trend to continued reliance on legacy Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and the relative ease of carrying out such attacks.
Malware deployment ranked second at 31 per cent. Social engineering followed at 27 per cent.
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