Group-IB's recent report, "Insights: Cyber Threat Landscape in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan," vividly illustrates a disturbing trend: cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the scale of their operations continues to grow. The report's figures are staggering: in the first seven months of 2025 alone, more than 42 million accounts were compromised worldwide. Furthermore, more than 224,000 bank cards fell into the hands of attackers, representing a colossal increase in fraudulent activity—a whopping 122%. These alarming figures clearly demonstrate that cyber intrusions and financial fraud are no longer standalone, isolated threats. Instead, they are increasingly becoming integral parts of a single, coordinated attack chain, where account compromise serves only as a stepping stone to accessing financial information and committing subsequent fraud. Unlike traditional vendors that view cyberattacks and fraud in isolation, Group-IB uniquely integrates both areas. Integrated cyberthreat and fraud analytics provide end-to-end visibility—from initial breach to monetization—enabling organizations to identify and mitigate threats early. This comprehensive solution provides a complete picture covering the entire lifecycle of criminal activity, which is critical in a constantly evolving threat landscape.
For businesses, these figures are more than just statistics; they reflect strategic risks that can undermine national security, financial stability, and consumer confidence. The scale and impact of cybercrime and fraud can lead to colossal financial losses, reputational damage, and even complete business collapse. Therefore, understanding these risks and implementing proactive measures are paramount for any organization seeking to maintain its integrity and competitiveness.
The New Cyber Reality
In the era of total interconnectedness, cybersecurity is no longer the exclusive domain of IT specialists. Today, protecting digital assets is the responsibility of every employee and every business function, from operations to financial services. Organizations striving for resilience in this new digital landscape are adopting the mindset of their adversaries: they anticipate potential threats, proactively test their defenses, and perceive vulnerabilities not as embarrassing weaknesses, but as valuable opportunities for improvement.
Despite technological advances, phishing remains one of the most prevalent and destructive cyberthreats. Reports clearly demonstrate that the financial sector, online services, and logistics are the primary targets of attackers, accounting for a significant share of phishing attacks. These industries, as the foundation of the regional economy, play a key role in achieving ambitious national goals such as UAE Century 2071 and Saudi Vision 2030, making their protection from cybercrime a matter of national importance.
Effective cybersecurity in these strategically important sectors requires going beyond simple resilience. Proactive investigations, active intelligence sharing, and coordinated action aimed at dismantling cybercriminal infrastructure are essential. Only by promptly identifying threat actors, disrupting their access channels, seizing their tools, and disrupting their monetization schemes will governments and companies achieve true and long-term digital confidence while maintaining the integrity and security of their systems.
Ransomware continues to be one of the most destructive forms of cyberattacks, causing colossal damage both financially and operationally. Group-IB statistics are grim: in the first seven months of 2025, 124 ransomware incidents were recorded, primarily affecting critical sectors such as financial services, education, government, and healthcare. In addition to direct financial losses, such attacks undermine public trust in vital services, which has long-term negative consequences.
For businesses, these figures are more than just statistics; they reflect strategic risks that can undermine national security, financial stability, and consumer confidence. The scale and impact of cybercrime and fraud can lead to colossal financial losses, reputational damage, and even complete business collapse. Therefore, understanding these risks and implementing proactive measures are paramount for any organization seeking to maintain its integrity and competitiveness.
The New Cyber Reality
In the era of total interconnectedness, cybersecurity is no longer the exclusive domain of IT specialists. Today, protecting digital assets is the responsibility of every employee and every business function, from operations to financial services. Organizations striving for resilience in this new digital landscape are adopting the mindset of their adversaries: they anticipate potential threats, proactively test their defenses, and perceive vulnerabilities not as embarrassing weaknesses, but as valuable opportunities for improvement.
Despite technological advances, phishing remains one of the most prevalent and destructive cyberthreats. Reports clearly demonstrate that the financial sector, online services, and logistics are the primary targets of attackers, accounting for a significant share of phishing attacks. These industries, as the foundation of the regional economy, play a key role in achieving ambitious national goals such as UAE Century 2071 and Saudi Vision 2030, making their protection from cybercrime a matter of national importance.
Effective cybersecurity in these strategically important sectors requires going beyond simple resilience. Proactive investigations, active intelligence sharing, and coordinated action aimed at dismantling cybercriminal infrastructure are essential. Only by promptly identifying threat actors, disrupting their access channels, seizing their tools, and disrupting their monetization schemes will governments and companies achieve true and long-term digital confidence while maintaining the integrity and security of their systems.
Ransomware continues to be one of the most destructive forms of cyberattacks, causing colossal damage both financially and operationally. Group-IB statistics are grim: in the first seven months of 2025, 124 ransomware incidents were recorded, primarily affecting critical sectors such as financial services, education, government, and healthcare. In addition to direct financial losses, such attacks undermine public trust in vital services, which has long-term negative consequences.
For countries striving for digital leadership, such disruptions are a wake-up call, highlighting the urgent need not only to develop more effective incident response strategies but also to put threat intelligence to practical use. Modern cyber resilience is achieved not only by preventing attacks. It requires continuous real-time monitoring, operational threat intelligence, and the ability to act decisively in the event of an incident. This is why many leading organizations are turning to incident response services to ensure immediate support should a disruption occur. Improving resilience across various sectors is now directly linked to ensuring business continuity, maintaining economic competitiveness, and maintaining investor confidence.
Group-IB's research also sheds light on the role of the darknet as a complex cybercrime ecosystem. Over 90% of the observed underground activity originated in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and focused on targets associated with government, military, and financial institutions. This underscores the significant influence the darknet has on regional threat dynamics and points to the critical importance of intelligence sharing and close public-private cooperation to counter these challenges.
Cybercrime has undergone a significant transformation, moving beyond isolated incidents to become an integral part of broader economic and political processes. Escalating geopolitical tensions, for example, have led to a sharp surge in hacktivism, with a 46% increase as of mid-2025. These campaigns increasingly target symbols of power and economic influence, including critical national infrastructure, demonstrating how political ambitions can be realized through digital attacks.
In a constantly evolving cyberthreat landscape, with advanced persistent threats (APTs) like OilRig, MuddyWater, and Dark Blinders refining their techniques, including DNS-based data theft and the use of AI-enhanced malware, organizations need to rethink their defense strategies. Threat intelligence is becoming a key early warning tool, providing companies with valuable insight into potential adversarial activity before an attack occurs.
Group-IB's research also sheds light on the role of the darknet as a complex cybercrime ecosystem. Over 90% of the observed underground activity originated in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and focused on targets associated with government, military, and financial institutions. This underscores the significant influence the darknet has on regional threat dynamics and points to the critical importance of intelligence sharing and close public-private cooperation to counter these challenges.
Cybercrime has undergone a significant transformation, moving beyond isolated incidents to become an integral part of broader economic and political processes. Escalating geopolitical tensions, for example, have led to a sharp surge in hacktivism, with a 46% increase as of mid-2025. These campaigns increasingly target symbols of power and economic influence, including critical national infrastructure, demonstrating how political ambitions can be realized through digital attacks.
In a constantly evolving cyberthreat landscape, with advanced persistent threats (APTs) like OilRig, MuddyWater, and Dark Blinders refining their techniques, including DNS-based data theft and the use of AI-enhanced malware, organizations need to rethink their defense strategies. Threat intelligence is becoming a key early warning tool, providing companies with valuable insight into potential adversarial activity before an attack occurs.
Ultimately, cybersecurity is not the responsibility of a single professional or department, but a collective responsibility. Every employee, partner, and policymaker plays a role in protecting the digital foundations of our economy. As countries, particularly the Middle East, continue their journey toward a technologically advanced future, trust will become the most valuable asset, and that begins with robust security.
For business leaders in this new reality, it's crucial to adopt the following approaches:
Adopt an attacker's mindset: Regularly simulate potential breaches to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before cybercriminals discover and exploit them.
Collaboration for Collective Defense: Cybersecurity as an Ecosystem
Cybersecurity is no longer the isolated concern of a single organization; it is a complex ecosystem where interconnectedness and collaborative efforts are crucial. This is why collaboration for collective defense is becoming the cornerstone of digital security. Successfully countering ever-growing threats requires synergy between diverse players: government, the private sector, and academia.
When these parties join forces, sharing information, resources, and best practices, they strengthen the collective defense of the entire digital space. Governments can set regulatory frameworks and coordinate national strategies, industry can implement innovative solutions and share threat intelligence, and academia can conduct research and develop new countermeasures. This partnership creates a united front capable of more effectively detecting, preventing, and responding to cyberattacks, making the entire digital world more resilient.
Companies in the Middle East face unique cybersecurity challenges, and their approach to this problem can be a catalyst for growth and innovation. Instead of viewing cybersecurity as a burdensome legal requirement, they can begin to think like hackers and act like defenders. This proactive and strategic approach means deeply understanding the motives, methods, and tools of attackers to effectively anticipate their actions. By learning from adversarial tactics, companies can move from passive defense to proactively building resilient systems. By transforming cybersecurity from mere compliance to a strategic advantage, companies can not only protect their assets but also build customer trust, ensure business continuity, and unlock new opportunities for growth in the digital age.
For business leaders in this new reality, it's crucial to adopt the following approaches:
Adopt an attacker's mindset: Regularly simulate potential breaches to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before cybercriminals discover and exploit them.
- Invest in threat intelligence: Provide real-time intelligence that provides the predictive power needed to effectively prevent attacks.
- Prioritize employee awareness: Remember that human error remains one of the most common causes of cyber incidents, and regular training can significantly reduce these risks.
- Build organizational resilience: Develop and implement an effective incident response plan that can significantly reduce downtime and minimize financial losses in the event of an attack.
Collaboration for Collective Defense: Cybersecurity as an Ecosystem
Cybersecurity is no longer the isolated concern of a single organization; it is a complex ecosystem where interconnectedness and collaborative efforts are crucial. This is why collaboration for collective defense is becoming the cornerstone of digital security. Successfully countering ever-growing threats requires synergy between diverse players: government, the private sector, and academia.
When these parties join forces, sharing information, resources, and best practices, they strengthen the collective defense of the entire digital space. Governments can set regulatory frameworks and coordinate national strategies, industry can implement innovative solutions and share threat intelligence, and academia can conduct research and develop new countermeasures. This partnership creates a united front capable of more effectively detecting, preventing, and responding to cyberattacks, making the entire digital world more resilient.
Companies in the Middle East face unique cybersecurity challenges, and their approach to this problem can be a catalyst for growth and innovation. Instead of viewing cybersecurity as a burdensome legal requirement, they can begin to think like hackers and act like defenders. This proactive and strategic approach means deeply understanding the motives, methods, and tools of attackers to effectively anticipate their actions. By learning from adversarial tactics, companies can move from passive defense to proactively building resilient systems. By transforming cybersecurity from mere compliance to a strategic advantage, companies can not only protect their assets but also build customer trust, ensure business continuity, and unlock new opportunities for growth in the digital age.