UAE Cybersecurity Council says 640,000 cyberattacks were recorded in one day and attributes many to the IRGC
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What happened
Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, chairman of the UAE Cybersecurity Council, said on 2026-09-16 that the UAE faced 640,000 cyberattacks on 2026-09-15 and that many were attributed to the IRGC. On 2026-09-15, he had also warned publicly that cyber and disinformation operations were targeting people, communities, and state and commercial sectors.
Why it matters
A senior UAE security official has moved from general warning to a quantified one-day attack count and a public attribution claim against a named foreign military actor. That creates a clearer basis for additional defensive directives, legal action over information activity, and coordination with operators of aviation, energy, telecoms, and ports.
On 2026-09-16, UAE Cybersecurity Council chairman Mohamed Al Kuwaiti publicly said the UAE recorded 640,000 cyberattacks on 2026-09-15 and said many were linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His statement followed a 2026-09-15 warning that cyber and disinformation activity was targeting individuals, communities, and key sectors. The named mechanism is sustained cyber pressure against confidence and infrastructure, with a near-term path toward tighter network controls, public alerting, and law-enforcement action if attacks continue or disrupt transport, energy, or port systems.
Watch for
UAE Cybersecurity Council release within 24-72 hours of sector-specific advisories for aviation, energy, telecoms, or ports naming required mitigations or elevated alert levels National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority public instruction on cyber readiness or continuity measures for government entities and critical infrastructure operators by 2026-09-19 Abu Dhabi Police or UAE Public Prosecution announcement by 2026-09-19 of arrests, investigations, or legal action tied to disinformation or cyber-enabled panic messaging Dubai Airports, AD Ports Group, ADNOC, or major UAE telecom operators confirmation by 2026-09-19 of service continuity measures, temporary access restrictions, or denial of operational disruption
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