UAE can become exporter of cyber security talent, senior official says

The UAE is committed to becoming a "net exporter of cyber security talent", said the head of the UAE's Cybersecurity Council, Mohamed Al Kuwaiti. He is in Washington to meet government and private sector technology officials to discuss sharing techniques in the fight against cyber criminals.

“Our main focus is cyber crime, cyber terrorism and cyber warfare,” Dr Al Kuwaiti told The National on Thursday.

Despite the dark and seemingly endless amount of cyber threats around the world, Dr Al Kuwaiti said he was optimistic and referred to the UAE's accolades in the cyber security sector. The visit comes weeks after the hack of Dubai-based crypto platform Bybit and the attack on Oracle's cloud server, which the UAE government said targeted both public sector agencies and private businesses.

The 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index gave the country the highest tier one rating – for countries viewed as role models in the sector. Dr Al Kuwaiti said partnerships and the sharing of information and techniques helped the UAE to attain the tier one rating.

He said that recipe for a strong cyber defence played a big role in his Washington visit. “We do these things by partnering with everybody, governments, private sector, NGOs, you name it, and alhamdulillah, that's what took us to be number one in so many cyber security indexes," he added.

The UAE also recently announced the creation of a Cyber Security Centre of Excellence, with support from Google.

That centre is expected to involve the creation of more than 20,000 jobs and help to attract foreign investment estimated at $1.4 billion by 2030.

“Through this collaboration, we are not only enhancing our national cyber capabilities but also building a robust innovation ecosystem that is projected to help prevent over $6.8 billion in cyber crime-related losses by 2030,” he said. “This initiative is a cornerstone in our national strategy.”

Dr Al Kuwaiti's optimism about the UAE remaining at the forefront of cyber defence comes at a time when many experts around the world are sounding the alarm about a looming cyber security talent gap.

In a previous interview with The National, Akshay Joshi, head of industry partnerships for the World Economic Forum’s centre for cyber security, said there soon could be a shortage of 3.3 million cyber security professionals.

“The UAE is committed to not only closing the talent gap, but also becoming a net exporter of cyber security talent,” Dr Al Kuwaiti said, adding that the country's recently launched initiatives, such as Digital Strategy 2025, Cyber Sniper and Cyber Future Leaders, have positioned it to bridge the anticipated talent gap.

He also said that artificial intelligence, and the UAE's early interest in the technology, would help to limit the effect of the shortfall in talent. “We strategically leverage artificial intelligence through two key avenues, firstly by automating a broad spectrum of tasks using Agentic AI and AI Agents," he added. "And secondly, we will empower our workforce through the integration of advanced AI systems that enhance their capabilities, elevate efficiency, and enable faster, more informed decision-making across the cyber security landscape.”

But Dr Al Kuwaiti was quick to point out, as others in the cyber security sector do, that AI can be a knife that cuts both way, lowering the entry threshold for those who want to commit cyber crimes.

“According to the 2025 State of the UAE Cybersecurity Report, we are witnessing a sharp increase in AI-powered attacks, including hyper-realistic phishing schemes, deepfakes, among other threats,” he said, adding that the UAE has made it a priority to conduct simulated cyber drills, while also equipping government employees with advanced defensive capabilities to protect national infrastructure.

However, for all the awareness stemming from cyber crime, cyber threats and nefarious actors seeking to do technological harm, Dr Al Kuwaiti said there were also misunderstandings about how to best approach cyber security.

“One of the most persistent misconceptions is that cyber security is purely a technical issue, to be handled exclusively by IT teams,” he explained. Studies show human error such as weak passwords or unintentional system use remain some of the leading factors contributing to cyber crime vulnerability, he said.

“Another misconception is that only large organisations or certain sectors are at risk, when in fact, any individual or entity with valuable data can be a target,” he added.

He said the UAE wanted to foster a sense of cyber security awareness similar to personal hygiene. “It needs to be in people's DNA to be aware of what they're downloading, the links they're clicking and the information they're sharing,” he said, noting the various points of entry that cyber criminals use.

Dr Al Kuwaiti said the UAE Cybersecurity Council was working on awareness and engagement campaigns to instil the idea that cyber security should be a societal priority and not just a technical mandate.

“Our goal is to empower every individual – from CEOs to students – to understand their, role in safeguarding the digital space,” he explained.