UAE cyber chief says every Iranian missile strike was paired with a cyberattack

At the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, head of the UAE Cybersecurity Council, said every Iranian missile or drone strike during the recent conflict was mirrored by a cyberattack on the same site. He described a coordinated pattern where attacks on ports, refineries or airports were accompanied by digital assaults, including supply-chain breaches, ransomware, fraud, advanced persistent threats and deepfakes, targeting critical services such as electricity, water and aviation that are largely run by private firms.

Al Kuwaiti emphasized that both local and foreign private operators joined forces with the state in defending these assets. He also warned that a second wave of online misinformation spread rapidly, making it hard to distinguish truth from rumor. Highlighting a legal gap, he said no treaty currently defines a nation’s right to respond to a cyberattack, calling for a “Cyber Geneva Convention.” Finally, he urged governments, companies, universities and civil society to share defensive knowledge and push for cyber-norms through the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union.