UAE smart homes, IoT devices, cars targeted amid attack surge, says cybersecurity chief Cyberattacks against the UAE have surged from a baseline of 200,000 to 300,000 a day to more than 800,000 during recent regional conflict - PUBLISHED: Thu 3 Sept 2026, 10:46 AM UPDATED: Thu 3 Sept 2026, 11:02 AM Smart home devices, CCTV systems, smartphones and even robotic vacuum cleaners have been drawn into a surge of cyberattacks against the UAE, with criminals using compromised Internet of Things (IoT) devices to spread fear as much as to cause direct damage, Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, said on Wednesday. Speaking at the third edition of FutureSec conference, organised by Khaleej Times and attended by a large number of senior public and private sector officials, Al Kuwaiti said IoT devices — including autonomous vehicle systems and car dashboard cameras — were pulled into the middle of recent attacks “to send the message of fear, to send a message of terror.” Ted Kemp, Chief Content Officer, Khaleej Times, delivered the welcome address at the one-day conference. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Attacks surge fourfold amid regional conflict Cyberattacks against the UAE have surged from a baseline of 200,000 to 300,000 a day to more than 800,000 during the recent regional conflict, Al Kuwaiti said. He disclosed that the UAE recorded 640,000 attacks on Tuesday alone. “We continue in seeing many of those things, despite the ceasefire here or there, or despite many of those negotiations happening... in the cyber warfare, things are really happening in a continuous manner,” he said in his keynote address. AI embedded across attack types Al Kuwaiti said artificial intelligence is now present in almost every category of cyberattack, ranging from misinformation and disinformation