Tech News
Proofpoint’s 2024 Voice of the CISO Report: More Than Two-Thirds of CISOs in the UAE Feel Prepared for Targeted Cyber Attacks
89% of UAE CISOs are turning to AI-powered technology to protect against human error and block advanced human-centric cyber threats
Proofpoint, a leading cybersecurity and compliance company today released its annual Voice of the CISO report, which explores key challenges, expectations and priorities of chief information security officers (CISOs) worldwide.
The 2024 report draws attention to a notable trend: while fears of cyber attacks remain high, CISOs in the UAE demonstrate increasing confidence in their ability to defend against these threats, reflecting a significant shift in the cybersecurity landscape. Over two-thirds (70%) of surveyed CISOs in the UAE feel at risk of a material cyber attack over the next 12 months, compared to 75% the year before, and 44% in 2022. CISOs today clearly remain on high alert, but confidence among them is growing: just 34% feel unprepared to cope with a targeted cyber attack, showing a marked decrease over last year’s 57% and 47% in 2022.
Human error continues to be perceived as the Achilles’ heel of cybersecurity, with more than three-quarters (76%) of CISOs in the UAE identifying it as the most significant vulnerability. In a year of growing insider threats and people-driven data loss, more CISOs in the UAE than ever (83%) see human risk, in particular negligent employees as a key cybersecurity concern over the next two years. However, there’s growing optimism in the role of AI-powered solutions to mitigate human-centric risks, reflecting a strategic pivot towards technology-driven defenses.
The 2024 Voice of the CISO report examines global third-party survey responses from 1,600 CISOs from organizations of 1,000 employees or more across different industries. Throughout the course of Q1 2024, 100 CISOs were interviewed in each market across 16 countries: the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, UAE, KSA, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Brazil.
The report offers a vital perspective on the state of cybersecurity from those at the forefront of protecting people and defending data. The report also stresses the importance of maintaining robust cybersecurity measures in the face of economic pressures and the critical role of human factors in organizational cyber readiness. The survey also measures the changes in alignment between security leaders and their boards of directors, exploring how their relationship impacts security priorities.
“As we navigate through the complexities of today’s cyber threat environment, it’s encouraging to see CISOs in the UAE gaining confidence in their strategies and tools,” commented Emile Abou Saleh, Senior Regional Director, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa at Proofpoint. “However, the ongoing challenges of employee turnover, pressure on resources, and the need for continuous board engagement remind us that vigilance and adaptation are key to our collective cyber resilience.”
Key global findings from Proofpoint’s 2024 Voice of the CISO report for the UAE include:
- Human error still tops cyber vulnerability threats but CISOs in the UAE turn to AI solutions to help. This year, we are seeing an uptick in the number of CISOs in the UAE who view human error as their organization’s biggest cyber vulnerability—76% in this year’s survey vs. 59% in 2023. However, 87% of CISOs believe that employees understand their role in protecting the organization. This confidence is higher than in previous years—56% in 2023 and 51% in 2022. This may be attributed to the 89% of UAE CISOs surveyed looking to deploy AI-powered capabilities to help protect against human error and advanced human-centered cyber threats.
- CISOs in the UAE continue to fear cyber-attacks but fewer feel unprepared, showing growing confidence in their security measures. In 2024, 70% of CISOs surveyed in the UAE feel at risk of experiencing a material cyber-attack in the next 12 months, compared to 75% in 2023 and 44% in 2022. However, just 34% feel their organization is unprepared to cope with a targeted cyber-attack, compared to 57% in 2023 and 47% in 2022.
- Generative AI tops CISOs security concerns in the UAE. In 2024, 49% of CISOs surveyed in the UAE believe that generative AI poses a security risk to their organization. The top three systems CISOs view as introducing risk to their organizations are: Microsoft 365 (50%), Perimeter network device (45%), Slack/Teams/Zoom/other collaboration tools (43%) and ChatGPT/other genAI (40%).
- Employee turnover is still a concern, yet CISOs in the UAE trust their defenses. In 2024, 45% of security leaders reported having to deal with a material loss of sensitive data in the past 12 months, and of those, 64% agreed that employees leaving the organization contributed to the loss. Despite those losses, 83% of CISOs believe they have adequate controls to protect their data.
- The majority of CISOs in the UAE have adopted DLP technology and invested more in security education. 51% of CISOs surveyed in the UAE, in 2024 have data loss prevention technology (DLP) in place compared to just 45% in 2023. More than half (55%) of CISOs surveyed invested in educating employees on data security best practices which is higher in 2024 compared to 2023 (41%).
- Cloud account compromise and ransomware top CISO concerns in the UAE. The biggest cybersecurity threats perceived by CISOs in 2024 are cloud account compromise (Microsoft 365 or G Suite or other) (44%), ransomware attacks (42%) and malware (42%). These top threats are different from last year in which CISOs perceived distributed email fraud, cloud account compromise (Microsoft 365, G Suite or other), malware and smishing/vishing as the biggest threats.
- Steady stance on ransom payments with increased reliance on cyber insurance in the UAE. In 2024, 64% (59% in 2023) of CISOs in the UAE believe their organization would pay to restore systems and prevent data release if attacked by ransomware in the next 12 months. 76% of CISOs said they would rely on cyber insurance claims to recover potential losses incurred, compared to 56% in 2023.
- The Board-CISO relationship has improved significantly in the UAE. In 2024, 80% of CISOs agree their board members see eye-to-eye with them on cybersecurity issues. This is a significant jump from 63% in 2023, and 47% in 2022.
- Pressures on CISOs in the UAE are unrelenting. In 2024, 69% of CISOs in the UAE admitted to burnout compared to 59% last year, while 87% feel they face excessive expectations, a steady increase from 59% last year and 38% in 2022. The sustainability of the ongoing expectations on CISOs continues to be tested—69% are concerned about personal liability (60% in 2023) and 74% (56% in 2023) would not join an organization that does not offer Directors & Officers (D&O) insurance coverage. In addition, 63% of CISOs agreed that the current economic downturn has hampered their ability to make business-critical investments, with 49% of them being asked to cut staff or delay backfills as well as reduce security budgets.
“While the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve with increasing human-centric threats, the 2024 Voice of the CISO report highlights what appears to be a pivotal shift towards greater resilience, preparedness and confidence among global CISOs,” said Patrick Joyce, global resident CISO at Proofpoint. “This year’s findings underscore a collective move towards strategic defenses, including enhanced education, technological adoption, and an adaptive approach to emerging threats like generative AI.”
Tech News
Anomali to Address the Next Phase of AI-Led Cyber Defense at GISEC 2026
Anomali, the leading global Managed Intelligence and Agentic SOC platform, announced its participation at GISEC Global 2026, taking place through 16-18 September at Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), Expo City.
The company’s discussions at GISEC will center on Autonomous SOC with Governed AI, Agentic AI, Actionable Threat Intelligence and Unified Security Data Lake capabilities that are changing the manner in which security teams investigate threats, manage workflows and make decisions.
Samer Jadallah, Vice President, Middle East & Africa at Anomali, will represent the company at GISEC and will focus on the growing impact of AI on both attackers and defenders, emerging shifts in the threat landscape, including the need to counter CEO impersonation attacks as well as key challenges facing modern security teams. He will also highlight AI’s role is helping organizations respond more effectively to evolving threats, Anomali’s commitment to the region and ongoing product innovation and plans to expand adoption of the Anomali platform across global enterprises and government organizations.
A key focus at this year’s event will be the changing nature of cyberattacks. As threat actors promptly adopt AI to scale campaigns and further accelerate attacks, security operations centers (SOC) are under growing pressure to process rising volumes of alerts with limited resources. To help with this, Anomali will demonstrate how AI can support analysts in multiple ways like surfacing higher- value insights, reducing manual effort and enabling quicker, informed responses.
Visitors can find Anomali at Booth E156 and Booth A80.
- Event: GISEC Global 2026
- Booths: E156 and A80
- Location: Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), Expo City
- Dates: 16 th to 18 September 2026
- Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm GST
Tech News
HONOR BRINGS ITS ALPHA PLAN TO LIFE AT LEAP 2026 WITH THE WORLD’S FIRST ROBOT PHONE AND RENEWED “DARE TO BE” BRAND DIRECTION
HONOR, a global leading AI device ecosystem company, concluded its participation at LEAP 2026, bringing its “ALPHA PLAN: From Vision to Reality” to life through the world’s first Robot Phone, advancements in robotics, cinematic imaging and connected AI experiences. The participation also marked HONOR’s renewed “Dare to Be” brand direction reflecting its continued transformation from a company predominantly known for smartphones into a broader global AI device ecosystem company.
Commenting on the participation, Lei Kunming, CMO HONOR Middle East & Africa said, “LEAP 2026 showed how HONOR’s ALPHA PLAN is moving from vision to reality. From the world’s first Robot Phone and Robotics to our connected ecosystem, we demonstrated how AI can work more naturally around people.” He added “Our ‘Dare to Be’ direction gives that transformation a stronger identity, with Saudi Arabia remaining central to our growth in AI and digital innovation.”
Bringing the HONOR Booth Experience to Life
Visitors explored HONOR’s expanding ecosystem through interactive experiences spanning sports, gaming, smart office, learning and everyday scenarios.
The booth demonstrated how smartphones, PCs, tablets, wearables and other smart devices can work together to deliver more seamlessly, across work, entertainment, sports and health, reflecting the ALPHA PLAN’s ambition to create a more intelligent, connected and human-centric ecosystem around the user.
Introducing the World’s First Robot Phone
At the centre of HONOR’s showcase was the world’s first Robot Phone, a defining proof point of the ALPHA PLAN and a new category combining AI, robotics and cinematic imaging.
Its integrated robotic gimbal can move, track subjects and respond to its surroundings, enabling more intuitive and proactive content creation. LEAP also marked the Robot Phone’s reveal for the Middle East and Africa, making the region the first overseas market to experience the new category.
HONOR also highlighted its collaboration with ARRI, bringing more than 100 years of professional cinema and image science expertise together with HONOR’s AI and robotics capabilities to make cinematic content creation more accessible to everyday users.
Advancing a Future Built on Human and AI Collaboration
Beyond the Robot Phone, HONOR showcased its ambitions in robotics through HONOR Robotics D1, reinforcing its vision of a future shaped not by humans competing against AI, but by humans working with AI to achieve more. The company also explored the future of AI devices and robotics through its LEAP keynote and panel discussions.
Entering a New “Dare to Be” Era
Reflecting this evolution, HONOR’s renewed“Dare to Be” direction reflects its evolution beyond individual devices towards an open AI ecosystem connecting technologies, industries and lifestyles. Supported by innovations including Agentic OS and AiMAGE, HONOR’s journey progresses from an intelligent phone to an intelligent ecosystem and, ultimately, an intelligent world.
Driving Growth Across MEA
HONOR entered LEAP with strong regional momentum. In H1 2026, the company grew by 35% while the Middle East smartphone market declined by 13%, making HONOR the only leading smartphone brand in the region to grow and the second-largest smartphone brand in the Middle East. This followed 73% year-on-year growth in Q1 2026.
Within this regional growth, Saudi Arabia remains a particularly important market for HONOR, supporting the company’s broader ambitions across AI devices and its connected ecosystem.
Strengthening HONOR’s AIoT Presence in Saudi Arabia
As part of this momentum, Saudi Arabia remains a strategic market for HONOR and an important part of the ALPHA PLAN. The Kingdom is now HONOR’s number one tablet market by share, while its AIoT business has grown by more than 500% and HONOR Earbuds Clip has surpassed 100,000 units sold locally.
Building on this strong foundation, HONOR continues to strengthen its presence through retail, after-sales, local partnerships and deeper engagement with the Kingdom’s technology ecosystem.
Tech News
greytHR expands agentic AI-powered HR execution across Middle East region with greytHR NAVOS

greytHR, a leading full-suite Human Resource Management System (HRMS) platform, launched greytHR NAVOS across the Middle East region, bringing agentic AI competencies directly into its platform. The new capability enables HR teams to find information, navigate workflows, while completing authorised HR activities through simple, natural-language commands.
The Middle East rollout comes as agentic AI begins to reshape HR functions globally. According to McKinsey’s August 2026 research on the agentic era of HR, roughly two-thirds of today’s HR activities, including recruitment, payroll, onboarding and benefits administration, could be largely automated by 2030.
Unlike conventional AI assistants that primarily focus on answering questions, greytHR NAVOS follows an execution-first approach, helping users move from finding information to initiating and completing supported HR actions. Its three core functions – Navigate, Operate, and Support – enable information and workflow discovery, authorised action execution and contextual guidance.
Girish Rowjee, Co-founder & CEO of greytHR, said: “We have evolved from a system that you work on, to a platform that works with you. As a full-suite HRMS, greytHR already connects the entire hire-to-retire lifecycle across key HR operations. With the launch of greytHR NAVOS, we are adding an agentic AI layer across this connected ecosystem, enabling users to manage everyday HR activities through conversational commands rather than searching through multiple menus or disconnected tools. Furthermore, greytHR NAVOS works within each organisation’s existing security and access controls, reducing administrative friction and accelerating everyday HR execution.”
greytHR NAVOS supports a wide range of workflows across core HR, leave and attendance, workforce management, performance management, recruitment, platform navigation and support. HR teams can use the capability to update employee information, generate and publish letters, access attendance records, manage leave and regularisations, support performance reviews, search for job openings and candidates, handle recruitment approvals and generate hiring content.
Based on early greytHR NAVOS usage in comparable markets, HR administrators have reported productivity savings of approximately five hours per week by replacing repetitive manual workflows with conversational requests. In one practical example, an attendance-muster export that previously required around five separate steps can be completed through a natural-language prompt in approximately 10 seconds. By simplifying routine processes and reducing time spent on software interfaces, greytHR NAVOS enables HR professionals to devote more time to employee engagement, workforce planning and strategic decision-making.
greytHR NAVOS operates within each organisation’s existing role-based access control (RBAC) system, ensuring that access to employee information and platform actions remains aligned with individual user roles and permissions. Moreover, sensitive or irreversible actions require explicit human confirmation before execution. The platform also maintains a traceable audit record of AI-assisted activity, including the initiating user, timestamp, prompt and action details. Meanwhile, greytHR’s established privacy, security, and governance framework extends to greytHR NAVOS, including alignment with SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, and GDPR frameworks, supported by human oversight.
The new capability is available across all paid greytHR plans, including essential, growth, and premium, with no per-seat AI fees, usage caps or separate purchase required.
The launch showcases the evolution of HRMS platforms from traditional systems of record towards systems of action, where technology can understand user intent, identify the relevant workflow and support the execution of the next authorised step.
greytHR currently supports over 34,000 organisations and 3.5 million users across over 30 countries, providing a strong foundation for expanding its agentic AI capabilities across the Middle East region. With greytHR NAVOS, the company is helping regional businesses simplify HR administration and narrow the gap between intent and execution.
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