Data is the lifeblood of governments and economies in today’s digitalized world. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reliance on data-driven systems has never been greater – with its Smart City Initiatives and rapid digital transformation.
However, the technological advancement surge comes with an amplified risk of cyber threats. According to Dr. Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security, UAE Government, the country is forced to block over 50,000 cyber-attacks and insists that the number is still growing. As a result, the UAE launched the Cyber Pulse Initiative, which seeks to encourage and enhance public awareness of malicious online activities.
Recognizing that collaboration is key, Naim Yazbek, General Manager, Microsoft UAE, insists that security is a team sport, encouraging everyone to work together. Microsoft recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE Cyber Security Council to curb and respond to cyber threats. In the terms stated in the MoU, the CSC UAE and Microsoft will assess information in cybersecurity-related fields, focusing more on national prevention, deterrence, cooperation, and cyber-attack responses. The UAE has adopted a “Zero Trust Cyber security” approach to counteract these risks and secure its digital landscape.
The Evolution of Cyber Security
Traditionally, cyber security strategies leaned heavily on perimeter-based defenses, assuming that anyone within the network, including devices and users, was trustworthy.
Nonetheless, the shifting threat paradigm has exposed the inadequacies of this approach. As technology changes toward a hybrid environment, cloud-first, the network perimeter is a bit blurred. Conventional security methods, such as strict firewall rules and antivirus solutions solely focused on external threats. These methods and physical security measures used to repel popular threats are progressively losing effectiveness.
In tandem, cyber-attacks have grown more relentless and intricate, prompting the need for a proactive security stance. Additionally, staff were trained in basic cyber security practices and concepts. However, the flaw in this approach lies in its susceptibility since legitimate entities with access can compromise the defense accidentally, in what is commonly known as insider threats.
UAE Adoption of Zero Trust
Acknowledging the limitations of conventional cyber security models, the UAE has embraced a paradigm shift – Zero Trust Cyber security. This approach stands on the principle “never trust, always verify.” It asserts that internal and external sources can harbor threats, necessitating careful verification for every entity seeking access to resources. Unlike traditional perimeter defense, no network, device, or user can be inherently trusted with the zero trust model.
Within the overarching National Cyber Security Strategy, Zero Trust principles have been integrated strategically. This strategy fosters adaptive security measures, risk assessment, and continuous monitoring, ensuring each access request is evaluated, authenticated, and authorized before any granted access.
The UAE government (Cyber Security Council) has partnered with leading cyber security companies like Microsoft and Deloitte and other security experts to tailor Zero Trust Solutions that align with their unique technological landscape.
Furthermore, the United Arab Emirates has embarked on extensive cyber security awareness campaigns and initiatives like Cyber Pulse Initiative to educate businesses, government agencies, and citizens about the importance of Zero Trust Practices and other cyber security measures.
Adopting and implementing strategies to strengthen the UAE’s digital defense can only be successful with a regulation and compliance clause. The UAE has been working to establish stringent cyber security compliance and regulation standards that mandate the adoption of Zero Trust principles across all boards. Failure to comply is subject to temporary detention, a minimum prison sentence of six months or one year, or a fine between AED 150,000 and AED 1M.
The Benefits of Zero Trust Implementation in the UAE
By adopting this paradigm shift, the UAE stands to garner a lot of benefits in its digital ecosystem.
1. Enhanced data protection
One, when every access attempt is scrutinized, data protection is enhanced. Zero trust minimizes the chances and risk of unauthorized data breaches and exposure. The key aspect of Zero Trust Cyber Security gains added significance when considering the huge realities of cyber threats faced by UAE companies.
A 2021 report by Cybereason, a cyber-security company, highlighted the disturbing trend of ransomware attacks in the UAE. According to the report, companies in the UAE must pay more than AED 5.1 Million in ransom to regain access to their systems within the past two years. Shockingly, 42% of companies closed down due to the attacks. Dr. Kuwaiti points out that these breaches have resulted in financial losses of up to AED 4-5 Million. The UAE’s Zero Trust cyber security will go beyond mere prevention of data breaches but the overall cyber threats spectrum.
2. Reduced attack surface
Secondly, adopting zero trust offers a significant reduction in attack surface. This goal is achieved by using the strategy to emphasize micro-segmentation principles and least privilege, which limits attackers from maneuvering the network.
In UAE, this strategy is a best practice and a top priority. A report by ‘Future of Cloud Security in the Middle East’ showed that’s the next big strategy for the years ahead. According to the report, 56% of the respondents in the Middle East were pushing for the implementation of zero-trust strategies.
Zero Trust emphasizes the least privilege and ensures that devices and users are granted only the bare minimum level of access equal to their tasks. This approach, in return, significantly restricts pathways for attackers to exploit, reducing the potential attack surface.
3. Promotes innovation
Additionally, the zero trust model provides enhanced security that encourages the unanimous adoption of a cloud-first strategy. It underlines the cloud’s foundational importance in driving advanced technologies, for example, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI).
The flexibility and adaptability of the cloud pushes the amalgamation of hybrid and sovereign cloud, effectively diversifying the vast digital potential in the country. 43% of the respondents from the report affirmed that security is the most important thing they look for when settling on a provider. To provide a shield within the cloud environment, incorporating zero trust, encryption, staff training, and multi-factor authentication is a must! Resource access should be granted based on zero-trust principles such as behavior, location, device health, and user identity. This measure helps assess the risk level and settle on the appropriate access level.
As perimeter security of networks using firewalls and antivirus solutions becomes ineffective in mitigating insider and advanced threats, organizations in the UAE can transition to the zero trust security architecture. The effective model denies implicit trust to devices, users, or programs based on their property specs. However, it grants access based on a policy informed by contextual, continuous, risk-based verification across applications, users, and associated devices.
