Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
The GCC held a high-level ministerial meeting in Kuwait to unify cybersecurity efforts, focusing on joint frameworks, information-sharing, and stronger incident-response systems. The initiative reflects a shared Gulf vision to secure critical infrastructure and build a collaborative cyber environment resilient to evolving threats.
The GCC ministerial committee for cybersecurity held a meeting in Kuwait to advance regional cooperation on digital security. Member states reviewed joint efforts against cyber threats, discussed critical infrastructure protection, and planned future strategies to build expertise and safeguard the Gulf’s shared digital interests.
A Qatar workshop led by cybersecurity expert Farhan Alsadi stressed the growing risks of cybercrime and the need for stronger defences. Backed by the NCSA, the session highlighted data protection, encryption, awareness training, and rapid response as key pillars of a resilient cybersecurity framework.
Nigeria’s NITDA has signed an MoU with Kaspersky Global to enhance cybersecurity capacity, including training, awareness campaigns, research, and intelligence sharing. With cybercrime costing Nigeria an estimated $500 million annually, the partnership aligns with broader reforms and international collaborations to strengthen the country’s cyber resilience.
Kaspersky has warned Sri Lanka of rising cyber threats tied to mobile banking and shopping, citing a 3.6x increase in banking Trojans in 2024. It urges regulators, corporations, and consumers to adopt stronger security measures, including national guidelines, collaboration, and greater user vigilance.
The UAE’s Technology Innovation Institute, VentureOne, and e& have launched QuantumConnect, a quantum key distribution-based encryption solution. Developed locally, it embeds hardware on fibre networks to deliver future-proof protection against quantum threats, ensuring compliance with UAE cryptography regulations and enhancing data security across regulated industries like finance and healthcare.
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Cisco have launched Indonesia’s first sovereign SOC, powered by Splunk Cloud, to deliver AI-driven threat detection while keeping national data under local jurisdiction. The initiative also supports training one million Indonesians in cybersecurity and networking by 2030.
Orange SA has suffered a ransomware attack linked to Warlock, with hackers leaking 4GB of business user data. The company says the stolen information was outdated and of low sensitivity but admitted multiple breaches this year across its European operations.
Exabeam’s global survey shows insider threats now surpass external attacks as the biggest cybersecurity challenge, with AI accelerating their effectiveness. Middle Eastern professionals cite unauthorized GenAI usage as their top insider risk, highlighting the urgent need for AI-aware security strategies.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense has unveiled a cybersecurity-focused roadmap as part of its 2025–2030 vision. The strategy prioritizes infrastructure protection, real-time threat detection, secure communications, and cyber workforce development, backed by partnerships with global technology leaders and oversight from senior MoD officials.