ABU DHABI -- Mohammed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Chairman of the UAE Cyber Security Council, affirmed that the UAE, guided by the directives of its wise leadership, realised early the importance of cybersecurity in maintaining its developmental momentum and safeguarding its future successes, taking innovative measures to develop an advanced digital infrastructure and ensure a safe digital space.

He made this statement during a keynote speech, themed “Cyber Pulse in The Media World”, during Day 3 of the 2023 edition of the Global Media Congress (GMC 2023), at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

“Protecting the borders of our digital space is among the UAE Government's top priorities, as it diligently continues to develop policies, strategies, and standards, while also training Emiratis to efficiently and proactively deal with cyber threats,” Al Kuwaiti added.

He continued, “As government and private entities move towards intelligent transformation, the cybersecurity and media sectors are becoming more interconnected, with shared goals that include providing a safe and secure digital space, as well as the role of media in enhancing awareness of the importance of responsible digital citizenship, which helps protect the privacy of individuals, institutions and companies.”

Al Kuwaiti affirmed the importance of bolstering cooperation between the government and private sectors and spreading knowledge on cybersecurity, noting that the UAE thwarts over 50,000 cyberattacks daily, with high efficiency.

He explained that media is among the most targeted sectors by cybercrime perpetrators, entailing higher levels of cooperation between the cybersecurity and media sectors to ensure the protection of the media ecosystem.

These cyberattacks can come in SMS, email, or URL form and target all segments, Al Kuwaiti said, noting that this necessitates delivering specialised media messages for all segments of the community to raise cybersecurity awareness and protect the community from cybercrime by informing them on the various types of attacks they might face.