UAE Cyber Chief Warns Wiper Malware Now Targets Power, Water and Cooling Systems

Speaking at the 13th Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate, Al Kuwaiti said wiper malware, which erases data and disables the systems it reaches, has already been used against operational systems elsewhere in the world. He said the threat calls for better ways to detect and stop such attacks and to deter whoever is behind them. His remarks were reported by Al Bayan on Saturday.

The warning matters because a successful attack on operational technology does more than leak data. In a country where desalination supplies drinking water and district cooling keeps buildings usable for much of the year, disabling those systems would hit residents directly. Al Kuwaiti said the same applies when cities, banks and airports face cyberattacks capable of paralysing their systems.

He used the speech to make the case for digital sovereignty, which he described as a basic pillar of state security and of continuity for government bodies and critical sectors. The UAE, he said, has made a point of keeping national control over its core technology and cyber systems rather than relying entirely on foreign governments and companies. When it built its cyber defences, he said, it set out to keep decision-making independent and to retain full control of the main technologies and platforms, while still valuing its international partnerships and technology alliances.

Al Kuwaiti singled out the UAE's national cloud. He said recent events had shown the strategic value of national data centres, and that the national cloud had hosted a large number of systems and digital services, compensated for some service outages and kept banking, health, government and other sectors running. He did not give figures for how many services were moved or which outages were covered.

Having that infrastructure at home, he said, allowed the state to deal efficiently with the challenges of the crisis, and showed the case for investing in national technology and an independent cyber system that can protect data and keep essential services going in any conditions. He added that partnerships with friendly and allied countries remain important but should not limit the state's ability to make its own decisions.

He also credited young Emirati specialists as a central part of the country's response, alongside its technical capabilities.

Al Kuwaiti said the UAE's national cybersecurity strategy places digital sovereignty among its priorities. The approach rests on building national leadership and an integrated national system, and on expanding partnerships, alliances and memoranda of understanding with other bodies, so that the state has the tools to protect its digital assets and keep operating without losing data or opening serious gaps.

For companies operating in the UAE, particularly utilities, banks and cloud providers, the remarks signal that the council sees operational technology and locally hosted infrastructure as the front line of national cyber policy, and that sovereignty over core platforms will remain a consideration in how the state chooses technology partners.