Cybercriminals don’t wait for the dust to settle. As conflict escalates across the Middle East, a parallel threat has emerged targeting ordinary people through their inboxes and social media feeds.

On 4 March, the UAE Ministry of Interior warned the public about fraudulent emails impersonating government emergency services, falsely claiming that residents must complete a mandatory registration form to receive state support or insurance coverage. The emails bore hallmarks of official government communications, making them convincingly deceptive. They are designed to exploit fear, urgency, and the instinct to comply with perceived authority. These messages are already circulating.

Alongside financial scams, verified fact-checkers have identified AI-generated and mislabelled footage circulating online as supposed evidence of attacks in the UAE. This includes video from Bahrain that was picked up by international media outlets and incorrectly broadcast as a Dubai drone strike. Fabricated videos of the Burj Khalifa collapsing, AI-generated missile strike imagery, and decade-old footage repackaged as current events have also circulated widely. In another example, a supposed “before and after” satellite image of Dubai showing smoke rising over the city was mislabelled — the image was actually from Sharjah, the neighbouring emirate. In many cases, the content spread faster than the corrections. Dubai Police have warned that sharing unverified information can carry criminal penalties under UAE law, including fines of no less than AED 200,000. Despite these warnings, the flow of misleading content has not slowed.

KnowBe4 warns patterns observed during previous conflicts and crises, including the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, the public should also expect charity and donation scams exploiting humanitarian concern, phishing emails disguised as embassy or government alerts, and deepfake imagery engineered to provoke fear or spread disinformation.

Dr. Martin Kraemer, CISO Advisor at KnowBe4 said, “Crises are the most reliable recruitment tool bad actors have. When people are frightened and searching for information, they are not necessarily looking for the truth. They are looking for confirmation of what they already fear. That is exactly what scammers and disinformation actors exploit. What we are seeing right now, fake government emergency emails, mislabelled footage, AI-generated imagery, is not random. It is targeted, and it is designed to exploit the gap between what people feel and what they know. The antidote is not panic. It is discipline: pause, question the source, and go directly to official channels before acting on anything. That’s precisely how governments and organizations are educating people to react in stressful situations.”

What the Public Can Do Right Now

KnowBe4 urges residents, travellers, and anyone following events in the region to apply the following principles:

• Treat urgency as a warning sign. Any message that pressures you to act quickly, register now, donate immediately, confirm your details before midnight, is likely designed to stop you thinking clearly.
• Verify before you share. Before forwarding footage or information, check whether it has been verified by a reputable news outlet or official source. Reverse image searches take seconds and can prevent significant harm.
• Go directly to official sources. If you receive communications claiming to be from a government ministry, embassy, or emergency service, navigate directly to their official website rather than clicking any link in the message.
• Question what you see. AI-generated imagery has reached a level of quality where video alone is no longer reliable evidence. Look for verification from multiple credible sources before drawing conclusions.
• Report suspicious communications. In the UAE, suspected scam emails or messages should be reported to the relevant authorities. Do not engage with the sender.

Alteryx a leading AI-ready data and analytics company, has announced its next phase of growth, surpassing $1 billion in ARR and powering more than 380 million automated workflows annually. As enterprises shift from AI experimentation to full-scale execution, demand for trusted automation and AI-ready data has never been higher. With Alteryx One, organizations are operationalizing AI responsibly and accelerating enterprise-scale decision-making.

Enterprises continue to invest heavily in AI, with 89% planning to maintain or increase spending in 2026, as generative and agentic AI technologies promise a transformative impact. Yet trust remains a critical barrier: 28% of organizations report limited or no confidence in the accuracy and quality of their data. In the UAE alone, 94% of data leaders say they lack complete visibility into AI decision-making processes. Reliable data and repeatable workflows have become the foundation for operationalizing AI successfully.

To address these challenges, Alteryx One brings together this strategy — a single platform trusted by thousands of customers that connects data, business context, and AI for insights. 

Scaling AI and Automation with Alteryx One

McKinsey & Company puts AI adoption at ~84% across surveyed orgs in the Middle East region. Against this backdrop, data remains the defining factor. As per Alteryx research, nearly half (49%) of leaders cite high-quality, accessible, and well-governed data as the top requirement for AI to reach its full potential. To meet this, Alteryx One provides a trusted logic layer, a governed, repeatable workflow that captures business logic, preserves lineage, and produces AI-ready outputs.

Adoption of Alteryx One is accelerating, with thousands of customers upgrading to the new, simplified edition pricing model, making it easier to access advanced AI and automation capabilities. Built-in enterprise security and governance provide the controls organizations need to scale. By seamlessly connecting to enterprise data sources, AI models, and business applications, Alteryx One delivers trusted, governed data wherever it’s needed. 

Andy MacMillan, CEO of Alteryx, said: “When automation becomes agentic, inconsistency is no longer just inefficient. It becomes an enterprise risk. AI requires a governed and repeatable logic layer. Without that foundation, organizations don’t just move faster — they scale risk faster than productivity. Alteryx is purpose-built for this next phase, giving enterprises the control, transparency, and confidence to operationalize AI, and giving lines of business the flexibility they need to adapt and change.”

In 2025, Alteryx also celebrated 10 years of its global Community, which now includes more than 750,000 members worldwide. Community members have shared thousands of peer-driven solutions, workflows, and best practices, helping organizations accelerate onboarding, scale analytics initiatives faster, and maximize the value of Alteryx One.

Automation at Enterprise Scale

The need for reliable, scalable automation has never been more evident. In 2025, Alteryx customers executed more than 380 million automated workflows, up from more than 260 million in 2023, highlighting how organizations are moving beyond experimentation to governed, enterprise-wide automation that operationalizes analytics. 

Alteryx enables organizations to extend automation into new generative AI use cases while maintaining explainable, auditable outputs aligned with enterprise compliance standards. Users can interact with data using natural language, accelerate model development, and embed AI-driven insights directly into trusted workflows — helping organizations scale innovation without sacrificing control.

Business Performance 

In 2025, the company surpassed $1 billion in ARR, signaling strong enterprise adoption and long-term customer commitment. Alteryx was also recognized in G2’s 2026 Best Software Awards for Best Analytics Software Products.

In parallel, Alteryx has expanded its cloud data platform ecosystem, including a deepened partnership with Google Cloud that enables customers to work directly with cloud-scale data and accelerate analytics and AI initiatives in modern cloud environments.

The company also introduced a refreshed brand identity reflecting its evolution into a unified platform for AI-powered analytics and enterprise-scale automation. With Alteryx One at the center, the company is redefining how enterprises scale AI and automation responsibly, providing the trusted foundation needed to drive intelligent outcomes.

ScreenCheck, a subsidiary of Centena Group and a key player offering end-to-end identification and security solutions in the Middle East, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with global security technologies company, BAS-IP to officially expand its security and identification capabilities into GCC’s residential security market.

The agreement signed during Intersec 2026, aligns with ScreenCheck’s ongoing efforts to establish a robust position in the rapidly growing smart security and digital transformation market. Currently, the market is projected to reach USD 907.12 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 25.7 per cent between 2025 and 2032. This growth is mainly propelled by large-scale urban development, smart infrastructure investments and surging demand for connected security ecosystems in the residential sector.

Olga Shamilova, Chief Executive Officer at BAS-IP, said: “We are delighted to partner with ScreenCheck and support their entry into this new vertical of security systems. During our participation at Intersec 2026, we witnessed increased interest for our Open API, especially for its ability to create seamless, customised ecosystems and ease to integrate into existing building management systems. Our mobile-first application also received significant attention, as its intuitive interface was proven ideal for both complex multi-apartment projects and luxury private villas. With ScreenCheck’s market expertise in the region and their top tier client base, we look forward to providing a safe and secure environment for communities.”

The collaboration with BAS-IP will address the surging demand from developers for connected home and community security solutions across apartments, gated communities and large residential developments in the region by delivering integrated IP-based audio and video intercom systems combined with access control solutions.

Faisal Mohamed, CEO of ScreenCheck, said: “As cities continue to develop and digital infrastructure becomes an inevitable part of everyday lives, security is equally important for people and systems. We are delighted to work with BAS-IP to serve this evolving market.”

“With the Middle East region experiencing one of the fastest-growing property markets across the globe, our collaboration helps to distribute integrated residential security and home automation solutions. We will be delivering cutting-edge biometric identification, RFID solutions, AI-powered surveillance, and next-generation smart access control to homes, critical infrastructure, and technology-driven enterprises. Our goal is to enable safer, more resilient spaces that highlight the capabilities of the modern security landscape,” added Faisal.

ScreenCheck’s partnership with BAS-IP positions the company at the forefront of the region’s ongoing shift, enabling the delivery of intelligent, connected residential security ecosystems that align with the region’s smart city ambitions and evolving urban landscape.