Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
At Black Hat MEA, Exabeam CEO Pete Harteveld highlighted how Saudi Vision 2030 is accelerating cybersecurity innovation and attracting global firms. Success in the Kingdom requires deep local partnerships, talent development, and AI-driven security augmentation. Exabeam’s rapid growth and new Riyadh Innovation Center reflect Saudi Arabia’s expanding cybersecurity ecosystem.
Oman’s MTCIT has opened registration for the Hadatha Sectorial Hackathon, a national initiative to strengthen telecom cybersecurity and support digital transformation. Targeting professionals, entrepreneurs, and startups, the event aims to develop scalable cyber solutions, boost local talent, and reinforce the country’s digital resilience across critical sectors.
Pakistan has launched its most sweeping cybersecurity reform through the World Bank–backed DEEP project, calling for a full review of national cyber readiness across government and industry. The upgrade includes revising the 2021 national policy, drafting a new Cybersecurity Act, enhancing workforce skills and aligning with global standards to strengthen national digital resilience.
Hub71 has partnered with Australia-based Entersoft to provide cybersecurity services—including smart contract audits, penetration testing, and threat monitoring—to startups in Abu Dhabi. The partnership strengthens the ecosystem’s security posture and supports early-stage companies in building resilient digital-asset and tech solutions. Entersoft says the UAE’s security-first approach sets a global standard.
Nepal marked International Information Security Day with an urgent call to shift from awareness to sustained national cybersecurity action. Government, industry and academic leaders highlighted key vulnerabilities, advocated year-round planning, and emphasized Zero Trust, practical skills and stronger national coordination. The event set a unified mandate for protecting Nepal’s digital future.
Morocco’s cybersecurity market has reached $1.2 billion, driven by rising cyberattacks, government initiatives, and digital transformation. Demand for MDR and SOC services is growing across government, finance, telecom, and industry, though talent shortages and high deployment costs persist. Continued expansion is expected as cybersecurity becomes essential for national and enterprise resilience.
Saudi Arabia’s rapid advancement toward Vision 2030 has placed cybersecurity at the center of national progress. With over $100 billion invested in AI and digital innovation, and 85% of key initiatives completed, the Kingdom is strengthening digital trust through advanced security frameworks, AI-enabled protection, and sector-wide collaboration. Cybersecurity now underpins economic resilience, public services, and long-term digital leadership.
Morocco’s cybersecurity market has reached $1.2 billion, supported by rising cyber threats, national security reforms and widespread digitalization. Demand is shifting toward MDR and SOC services as organizations seek round-the-clock monitoring and faster response capabilities. While government agencies and financial institutions lead spending, the sector faces a talent shortage and high deployment costs. Continued growth is expected as cybersecurity becomes a core business priority.
At MWC25 Doha, cybersecurity experts highlighted growing cyber risks facing 5G networks, urging stronger monitoring and unified frameworks to protect telecom infrastructure. The panel emphasized the need for consistent threat models, given the complexity introduced by 5G adoption. NCSA’s Dana Al Abdullah and GSMA’s Tim Hart led discussions and unveiled a joint research paper on addressing 5G-related cyber threats.
Es’hailSat has partnered with Mobi Egypt to provide Ku-band capacity on the Es’hail-1 satellite, enabling Mobi Egypt to migrate all its networks to Es’hailSat’s platform. The deal boosts satellite coverage and reliability across Egypt and MENA, leveraging Es’hailSat’s Tier-4 teleport and dual-satellite fleet to support mission-critical enterprise and government connectivity.