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UAE jobs: Firms face skilled cybersecurity staff shortage, says report
Over 40% UAE of respondents cite lack of qualified IT security personnel as major hurdle to manage supply chain risks, while 47% say organisations are struggling to prioritise various security tasks
- PUBLISHED: Tue 24 Mar 2026, 5:14 PM
Attacks on supply chains have emerged as a major cybersecurity threat for UAE businesses, as organisations grapple with talent shortages and competing security priorities, according to a study by Kaspersky.
The study identified that over 40 per cent of respondents in the UAE cited a lack of qualified IT security personnel as a major hurdle to managing these risks, while 47 per cent said organisations are struggling to prioritize various security tasks to mitigate the risk of supply chain and trusted relationship attacks.
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Trusted relationship attacks are cyber attacks in which bad actors target and exploit the trust and access given to third-party vendors.
The findings highlight a growing challenge as companies become increasingly reliant on third-party vendors and digital ecosystems, expanding the number of potential entry points for cyber attackers.
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Globally, supply chain and trusted relationship attacks are among the most common threats, and yet only 9 and 8 per cent, respectively, of businesses globally cite them as their top concern.
A majority of businesses (78 per cent) also report that their organisations need to upgrade protection against these risks, with only 22 per cent of them considering their current security measures as effective.
The rise in such threats comes as businesses accelerate digital adoption and shift more critical operations to the cloud, increasing exposure to cyber risks. Rubrik, a security and AI operations company, has also introduced new data protection capabilities for Google Workspace, aimed at helping organisations strengthen cyber resilience and minimise disruptions as reliance on cloud-based tools continues to grow.
Rise in remote-work cyber attacks
On Sunday, the UAE Cybersecurity Council warned that remote-work-related cyber attacks rose by over 40 per cent in recent years. This comes as schools, universities, and some businesses shift to distance learning/remote work due to ongoing escalations.
This week has also seen heavy rains and thunderstorms across the country, which prompted businesses to move online. The head of the Cybersecurity Council, Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, has called for greater digital awareness and discipline among students and parents, according to a report by Emarat Al Youm.
Hind Aldah is a business reporter based in Sharjah. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.