• H.E Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity, UAE government provided the keynote address, while the Director of Information Security at Majid Al Futtaim Holding provided the opening session ‘Mitigating Risk from AI Agents, Disinformation Security’
  • The 26th edition of Intersec continues until 16 January at the Dubai World Trade Centre

Dubai, UAE: Tackling one of the most pressing challenges in cybersecurity - the growing risks posed by Agentic AI and disinformation - was a key focus at the inaugural CISO Business Briefing, part of Intersec 2025, where the security industry’s top leaders convened earlier today at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

In the session titled ‘Mitigating Risk from AI Agents, Disinformation Security’, Faheem Siddiqui, Director of Information Security at Majid Al Futtaim Holding, explored the transformative implications of disinformation on security and the critical need for advanced governance and defensive measures.

Siddiqui’s session provided a stark warning about the potential threats posed by Agentic AI - self-directed systems capable of producing sophisticated disinformation, including deepfakes and brand impersonations, with devastating consequences for businesses and societies.

His address emphasised the urgent requirement for organisations to adopt robust AI governance frameworks and deploy innovative security tools to counteract these emerging risks, outlining that by 2026, attacks using AI-generated synthetic identities will mean 30% of enterprises will no longer consider their existing identity verification and authentication solutions to be reliable in isolation.

Siddiqui, said: “Today, staying ahead of disinformation is a digital arms race. Effectively combating disinformation requires inclusion of critical business functions, such as security, executive leadership, legal, public relations, marketing, finance, human resources and sales. It is important to identify critical business use cases of fraudulent journeys and start investing in solutions to ensure those journeys are secured.”

Meanwhile, H.E Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity, UAE Government, provided the keynote address, setting the tone for the newly introduced CISO Business Briefing, a dedicated platform at Intersec 2025 that brings together top Chief Information Security Officers and security leaders from diverse industries to address critical cybersecurity trends.

In addition, several other high-impact discussions addressing critical cybersecurity challenges took place, including a standout panel session on the importance of rigorous cybersecurity exercises to uncover and address vulnerabilities proactively, and another engaging session examining strategies for effectively demonstrating the value of cybersecurity investments to secure board-level support. The session featuring representatives from Mubadala, Mastercard, Al Etihad Payments, Qatar Energy, NEOM, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and Mashreq Bank, to name a few.

Grant Tuchten, Portfolio Director at Intersec organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East, said: “The launch of the CISO Business Briefing marks an important milestone for Intersec. This platform is designed to empower security leaders with actionable insights, enabling them to explore the latest technologies and strategies in cybersecurity, and leverage AI to enhance visibility, efficiency, and business resilience.”

Intersec 2025, the world’s biggest business event mapping the future of security, safety and fire protection, opened this morning and will run until 16 January 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the largest and most comprehensive event on record welcomes 1,200 exhibitors from 61 countries and over 52,000 visitors (a 10% increase in attendance) from more than 140 countries.

Intersec 2025 is supported by Security Industry Regulation Agency (SIRA), Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Municipality, Cyber Security Council, and Dubai Electronic Security Centre.

-Ends-

About Intersec

Intersec in its 26th edition is the world-leading business event for the global safety and security industry value chain. The event brings together suppliers, thought-leaders, innovators, manufacturers and buyers face to face to discuss leading-edge technology, see the very latest products and solutions across a wide range of industries and business sectors, and conduct business. The upcoming edition takes place from the 14-16 January 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and is staged under the theme 'The world’s number one event mapping the future in safety, security and fire protection'.

For more information, please visit our website.

About Messe Frankfurt

The Messe Frankfurt Group is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of some 2,300 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. Group sales in financial year 2023 were more than € 609 million. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of Messe Frankfurt’s key strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services.

For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com/sustainability

With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).

Further information: www.messefrankfurt.com

About Messe Frankfurt Middle East

Messe Frankfurt Middle East’s portfolio of exhibitions includes: Intersec, Intersec Saudi Arabia, Automechanika Dubai, Automechanika Riyadh, Beautyworld Middle East, Beautyworld Saudi Arabia, Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East, Logimotion, Light + Intelligent Building Middle East and Paperworld Middle East. In the 2023/24 event season, Messe Frankfurt Middle East exhibitions combined featured 6,324 exhibitors from over 60 countries and attracted 224,106 visitors from 156 countries.

For more information, please visit our website.

James Lakie
james.lakie@shamalcomms.com
Kate McGinley
kate.mcginley@uae.messefrankfurt.com
www.ae.messefrankfurt.com 
intersec.ae.messefrankfurt.com