Werno Gevers, Regional Director, and Hany George, Sales Engineering Manager, at Mimecast, examine the region’s evolving threat landscape and what security professionals can expect in 2026.
A rapid rise in the sophistication of AI-powered cyberattacks, ‘click fix’ scams, growth in attack-as-a-service tools and rising threats from deep fakes, synthetic identities and even quantum computing are adding layers of complexity and cost to keeping organisations in the Middle East secure.
Investments in AI, intelligent automation, multi-cloud strategies, as well as cybersecurity are helping drive IT spending growth in the Middle East. Gartner has projected total spend to reach $169 billion in 2026, an increase of 8.9% from 2025, with the company stating that the MENA region was “rapidly emerging as a global tech powerhouse.”
While this bodes well for regional growth, it also makes for an attractive hunting ground for global cybercriminals.
Strong growth places the Middle East in the crosshairs
The Middle East’s rapid adoption of new technologies, coupled with its high concentration of wealth and strict data residency requirements, have made it a magnet for both opportunistic cybercriminals and sophisticated nation-state actors. Financial services, critical infrastructure, government services and healthcare are especially at risk, as attackers shift tactics to exploit the region’s technological and regulatory complexities.
AI will be the game changer. For both sides
2026 is set to be the year in which AI reshapes both offensive and defensive cybersecurity in the region. Attackers are expected to deploy generative AI and agentic bots to automate reconnaissance, produce hyper-convincing phishing attacks, and launch multi-vector campaigns with significantly greater speed and accuracy.
AI-powered attacks are now more sophisticated and less detectable. Gone are the days of crude, easily-spotted emails. Deep fakes and synthetic identities will facilitate these efforts, transforming phishing and social engineering into far more potent weapons.
On the defensive side, security teams will lean increasingly on AI for threat detection, response automation and anomaly spotting, helping close the gap against what is expected to be an overwhelming volume of threats.
However, the skills required to mitigate these threats are quickly evolving, with AI fluency becoming a must for analysts, strategists and incident responders. Unsurprisingly, the demand for security professionals skilled in AI, machine learning, cloud security, identity management and data governance is soaring.
Emerging and underestimated threats
The region’s security professionals could get bogged down with the familiar day-to-day threats, ignoring several fast-rising risks that may catch many unprepared.
Some of the standout threats include:
- Attack-as-a-Service (AaaS): Tools and platforms that allow even unskilled actors to rent or buy attack campaigns are springing up everywhere, dramatically lowering the barrier to entry for cybercrime.
- Mass-Scale IoT Attacks: The explosive growth in IoT deployments presents new opportunities for criminals to carry out large-scale, highly coordinated attacks by exploiting vulnerable endpoints.
- Supply Chain Attacks: Attacks leveraging trusted brands, third parties and supply chain partners will increase, becoming a major point of exposure for organisations.
- AI Model Hijacking: Attacks that target and ‘poison’ AI and Machine Learning models will threaten data integrity and system reliability.
- Quantum Computing: Though not immediate, the threat of quantum breakthroughs renders classic cryptography potentially obsolete, demanding proactive planning particularly from financial, government and healthcare sectors.
One trend that was vastly underestimated in 2025, and primed to explode in 2026, is the so-called ‘click fix’ scam, which has surged by 500%. These highly professionalised social engineering campaigns trick users into self-compromise, often by pasting commands or downloading files from trusted business platforms.
The human factor still the greatest vulnerability
Human-centric threats remain the biggest, and most persistent, vulnerability. Attackers don’t hack in, they log in. Social engineering, credential theft and exploitation of employee behaviour represent the vast majority of breaches. This is especially the case in high-target, fast-moving economies like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where they warn that users remain the most vulnerable in the security chain.
Despite increased organisational awareness, human risk management is still finding its footing. Many companies continue to treat security awareness as a compliance exercise, leaving massive blind spots in their preparedness. The shift toward integrated, holistic human risk management, encompassing behavioural analytics, ongoing education and real testing, must accelerate.
What’s more, organisations will need to add additional resources to tackle the challenge. Budget allocations, traditionally focused on technology endpoints and perimeter defenses, are beginning to pivot. While overall security budgets are climbing, often at double-digit rates, boards and CISOs must ensure real investment flows to tools, training and platforms that address both the technological and human aspects of risk, with demonstrable ROI.
In the face of accelerating threats, security leaders across the Middle East must proactively integrate human risk management into their core strategies. Other non-negotiables are appropriate investment in AI-driven detection and automation, as well as ensuring teams are upskilled to handle rapid technological change.
