UAE's cyber blind spot isn't AI or the cloud, it's human error, experts warn

A recent IBM study reveals that 96% of UAE executives lack full comprehension of their AI dependencies across various vendors, models, and infrastructure. Additionally, 74% find it challenging to manage data residency and sovereignty requirements when transferring data across borders. Rajeev Nair, Senior Vice President at Special Projects, explains that rapid cloud migration led organizations to prioritize speed and scale, often assuming that security controls could be added later.

According to GISEC Global 2026, most cyber breaches today arise from unawareness about what needs protection and where data resides. As AI becomes integrated into key processes, organizations must understand their data locations, access permissions, policy enforcement, and inter-technology provider dependencies. Common cloud security oversights include poorly managed secrets and keys, excessive individual privileges, and inadequate threat prioritization.

However, the most significant oversight is assuming cloud backups are sufficient. Fady Richmany, Corporate Vice President and General Manager at Commvault, emphasizes that cloud providers only ensure platform availability, not data restoration. He highlights the necessity for clean and swift application, identity, configuration, and data recovery.

Several UAE sectors face sophisticated attacks, including financial services, healthcare, logistics, and critical infrastructure. The UAE experiences around 600,000 cyberattacks daily, with an increasing number of AI-enhanced threats. As cyber threats evolve rapidly, experts advise UAE enterprises to adopt a future-ready security strategy that incorporates resilience and governance into core business operations.

This includes isolating and air-gapping recovery, securing identities for employees and AI agents, defining minimum viable business operations, and automating recovery testing in isolated cleanroom environments.