As geopolitical tensions rise across the Middle East, cybersecurity experts say a parallel wave of digital threats is rapidly escalating targeting residents, travellers and social media users with sophisticated scams, deepfakes, and impersonation attempts.
On 4 March, the UAE Ministry of Interior issued a public warning after detecting fraudulent emails impersonating government emergency services. The messages falsely claimed residents were required to complete a mandatory registration form in order to receive state support or insurance coverage. Their formatting and language closely mimicked official government communications, making them especially convincing. Authorities confirmed that such emails are already circulating and urged the public not to engage.
“Crises are the most reliable recruitment tool bad actors have… The antidote is not panic. It is discipline: pause, question the source, and go directly to official channels.”
— Dr. Martin Kraemer, CISO Advisor, KnowBe4
At the same time, misinformation and AI-generated media have been spreading at unprecedented speed. Verified fact‑checkers identified multiple doctored or mislabelled videos circulating online as alleged evidence of attacks in the UAE. One widely shared clip originally filmed in Bahrain was incorrectly broadcast by international media as footage of a drone strike in Dubai. Other fabricated visuals include AI-generated images of missile strikes, a digitally created video showing the Burj Khalifa collapsing, and old footage rebranded to appear recent. Even satellite imagery has been manipulated or misinterpreted, including a mislabelled “before and after” image shared as evidence of smoke over Dubai when the original photograph depicted Sharjah.
Dubai Police have reiterated that sharing unverified information is a criminal offence, carrying penalties of at least AED 200,000. Despite this, misleading content continues to circulate widely across social platforms.
KnowBe4 warns that these patterns mirror digital activity seen during previous global crises, including the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. Cybercriminals tend to amplify fear, urgency, and confusion, deploying charity scams, phishing messages disguised as embassy alerts, and deepfake visuals designed to provoke emotional reactions.
Dr. Martin Kraemer, CISO Advisor at KnowBe4, emphasized that these tactics are intentional and highly targeted, urging the public to slow down, verify sources, and rely on official channels before acting on any message or media.
KnowBe4 recommends treating urgent messages as red flags, verifying information before sharing, navigating directly to official websites instead of clicking links, scrutinizing images and videos, and reporting suspicious communications to authorities.
