Cyber Security Summit UAE 2026 | Cybersec conference

Cyber Security Summit

From Exposure to Control: Securing UAE Enterprises in an AI-Driven Threat Economy

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About Cybersecurity Summit – Dubai 2026

Cybersecurity Summit Dubai is an executive platform dedicated to securing the digital backbone of a rapidly transforming economy. Focused on cyber resilience, AI-driven security, cloud-first architectures, critical infrastructure protection, and zero-trust frameworks, the summit addresses both the strategic and operational challenges facing modern enterprises. As organisations across the UAE accelerate digital adoption from smart cities to connected ecosystems the attack surface is expanding faster than security maturity can keep pace. The challenge is no longer just investing in cybersecurity, but ensuring those investments translate into real risk reduction. Cybersecurity Summit Dubai convenes CISOs, security leaders, and technology decision-makers to address this gap. Through operator-led discussions, real-world breach scenarios, and solution-driven conversations, the summit delivers actionable insights to help organisations strengthen resilience, reduce exposure, and build future-ready security strategies in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

What Sets Us Apart?

Cybersecurity Summit UAE brings together the entire ecosystem behind AI infrastructure energy providers, hyperscalers, data centre developers, investors, and governments to address the biggest constraint of the AI era: scalable power and compute capacity.

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Meaningful Connections

Strategic Learning

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Featured Discussions

The UAE Cyber Reality Check — Why Security Spend Isn’t Reducing Breach Impact

Despite rising cybersecurity budgets, organisations across the UAE continue to experience increasing breach frequency and impact. This keynote explores the disconnect between investment and outcomes, examining how tool sprawl, fragmented visibility, and misaligned strategies are undermining security effectiveness. Learn how leading CISOs are shifting towards exposure management, risk quantification, and measurable security ROI to regain control.

The AI Attack Surface Is Already Out of Control — Managing Shadow AI & LLM Risk

AI adoption is accelerating faster than governance. From unsanctioned tools to embedded AI workflows, organisations are unknowingly exposing sensitive data and expanding their attack surface. This session unpacks the risks of shadow AI, prompt injection, and LLM data leakage, while outlining practical approaches to building AI security frameworks, data protection strategies, and governance models for the enterprise.

“Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” — Preparing for the Post-Quantum Threat

Encrypted data is already being targeted by adversaries preparing for the quantum era. This keynote explores the implications of post-quantum cryptography, the risks associated with long-term data exposure, and the urgency of transitioning to quantum-resistant frameworks. Attendees will gain a roadmap for crypto-agility, data classification, and future-proof encryption strategies.

Critical Infrastructure Under Attack — Securing OT & ICS Environments in the UAE

As IT and OT environments converge, critical infrastructure across energy, aviation, and logistics is becoming increasingly vulnerable. This panel examines real-world risks facing UAE operators, including SCADA vulnerabilities, ransomware targeting OT, and lack of asset visibility. Experts will discuss strategies for building resilient, secure, and compliant OT environments.

Identity Is Broken — Rethinking IAM, PAM & Non-Human Identity Security

Identity has become the primary attack vector in modern breaches, yet traditional controls are failing. This session explores how attackers bypass MFA, exploit tokens, and target non-human identities such as service accounts and APIs. Discover how organisations can evolve toward an identity-centric security model, leveraging behavioural analytics, identity fabric, and next-generation access controls.

SOC Is Drowning — Fixing Detection & Response at Scale

Security Operations Centres are overwhelmed by alert volumes, false positives, and fragmented tooling. This panel addresses the operational realities of modern SOCs, exploring how organisations can move beyond tool-heavy approaches toward detection engineering, automation strategies, and AI-driven triage. Learn what actually works — and what doesn’t — in improving detection and response outcomes.

Breach in 15 Minutes — Real-Time Attack Simulation

Experience a live, end-to-end cyberattack simulation demonstrating how quickly attackers can compromise an enterprise environment. From initial access to lateral movement and data exfiltration, this session provides a realistic view of attacker techniques and highlights critical defence gaps. Walk away with actionable insights on controls that stop attacks — and those that fail under pressure.

The Third-Party Time Bomb — SaaS, Supply Chain & Vendor Risk

Modern enterprises rely heavily on third-party vendors, SaaS platforms, and APIs — creating an expanded and often unmanaged attack surface. This session explores the growing risks of supply chain attacks, SaaS sprawl, and vendor blind spots, while outlining strategies for continuous risk assessment, SBOM adoption, and third-party risk governance.

Cloud Security Failures — Why Misconfiguration Remains the #1 Threat

Cloud adoption continues to outpace security maturity, with misconfigurations remaining the leading cause of breaches. This panel examines the challenges of securing multi-cloud environments, including visibility gaps, inconsistent policies, and insecure deployments. Learn how organisations are adopting CNAPP, shift-left security, and automated controls to reduce risk and improve compliance.

UAE Cybersecurity Landscape

Identity & Access Security

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Cloud Security

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AI & Data Security

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Threat Detection & SOC

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Risk, Compliance & Governance

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Series Speakers

We bring together the industry’s most respected voices, delivering sessions that inspire, educate, and leave a lasting impression.

Ali Katkhada

Group Chief Information Officer
Depa United Group

Group CIO leading digital transformation, enterprise IT strategy, governance, cloud, cybersecurity, and AI-driven platforms to deliver scalable growth, operational excellence, and measurable business value.

Adel Al Tamimi

Director of Digital Products Solution Management
Dubai Electricity & Winer Authority-DEWA

A digital transformation leader with extensive experience in smart grids, AI, big data, and emerging technologies. Known for driving smart city innovation, data-driven strategies, and large-scale digital initiatives across the utilities and energy sector.

Mohammed Ali Alawadhi

Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer & Director of Digital Department, Ministry of Economy
United Arab Emirates

Seeking strategic, challenging environment; highly organized, professional, detail-oriented; excels under deadlines; strong communication and IT skills; committed to confidentiality, team leadership, and achieving excellence through engagement.

David Millan

Chief Data & Al Officer Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi

Digital & AI executive with 20+ years leading transformations, building AI capabilities, scaling teams, embedding AI into operations, delivering measurable impact, and driving growth, efficiency, and innovation

Hussein Jaghoub

Group Director - Technology & Cyber Audit
DP World

Hussein is a seasoned technology audit executive with 16+ years’ global experience in IT governance, cyber risk, AI governance, compliance, and digital transformation across industries.

Walid Hizaoui

Group Chief Transformation & Strategy Officer
Gargash Group

Walid Hizaoui is Group Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Gargash Group, leading strategy, digital transformation, data analytics, and AI-driven growth across diversified industries.

Aus Alzubaidi

Group Chief Information Security Officer, Director of IT & Media
MBC Group

Accomplished CISO and IT & Media executive with 18+ years’ experience leading cybersecurity, IT operations, cloud transformation, AI adoption, and digital innovation across global organizations.

Shafiullah Ismail

Vice President, Head of Information Security & Risk
Mubadala Capital

Senior Vice President and Head of Cyber Security & Risk at Mubadala Capital, leading global cybersecurity strategy, Zero Trust, risk management, and AI-driven security transformation.

Maaz Zahid Qureshi

VP Digital | CX | AI | Innovation
ADNOC Ditribution

22+ years of cross-functional leadership driving digital transformation, innovation, and growth across telecom, aviation, and energy sectors, delivering large-scale platforms, new business models, and AI-enabled ecosystems.

Why Attend?

The 36th Cybersecurity Summit 2026 is a high-impact platform for learning, collaboration, and innovation. It brings together industry leaders to explore real-world solutions in AI, cloud, identity, and SOC while enabling meaningful peer discussions and partnerships. With focused networking and expert insights, the event delivers strong value by equipping professionals with actionable strategies to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.

Learn & Grow

At the 36th Edition of Cybersecurity Summit 2026 with footprints all over the globe, further your professional development by being a part of the discussions & collaborative workshops changing the industry as we know it.

Showcase of Digital Solutions by World-Class Technology Providers

Gather practical perspectives from many real-world use-cases shared by the market’s top Innovation & Technology experts. Explore advanced technologies addressing identity, cloud, AI, and SOC challenges.

Collaborative Collaboration

Exchange knowledge and strategies with peers facing similar threats. Collaborate to build for the future together with industry peers and share experiences.

Source Your Most Reliable Partner Through Face-to-Face interactions

We understand that the value of a live event comes from the quality of networking opportunities. Connect & Meet one-on-one with global potential partners for tailored guidance to help you achieve your mission-critical business priorities.

Outstanding Return On Investment for your Time Spent

Whether you’re a seasoned cybersecurity leader or a technology decision-maker, the Cybersecurity Summit UAE is a high-impact, time-efficient platform designed to deliver actionable insights, meaningful connections, and strategic value. Engage with industry experts, explore real-world solutions, and stay ahead of evolving threats—all in one focused environment.

Industry Focus

Financial Services

Government & Public Sector

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Energy, Utilities & Oil & Gas

Manufacturing & Industrial

Telecommunications

Cloud, Data Centers & Technology Providers

Retail & E-commerce

Transportation & Logistics

Critical Infrastructure & Smart Cities

Education & Research Institutions

Media, Entertainment & Digital Platforms

Who Should Attend?

Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs)
Chief Information Security Risk Officers
Chief Information Officers (CIOS)
Chief Technology Officers (CTOS)
Chief Digital Officers (CDOs)
Directors/VPs/Heads of IT & OT Security
Directors/VPs/Heads of Cyber Security
Directors/VPs/Heads of Digital Transformation
Directors/VPs/Heads of Technology Risk

Presidents/Vice Presidents of IT
Heads of Cloud Security
Heads of Information Security
Heads of Data Governance
Heads of IT Infrastructure
Data Protection Officers
Digital Leaders across functions
Chief Information Cyber / Security Risk Officer
Chief Enterprise Architect

Series Partners

Media Partners

Trusted by Industry Leaders

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Testimonials

"It was a great experience to see such a diverse group of stakeholders, vendors, and organizational representatives come together, not just to discuss AI and digital transformation, but to actively showcase how they’re implementing it. What stood out most is the strategic, multi-layered approach being taken across different sectors, working in parallel to support the broader country's economy. It’s encouraging to see a continued emphasis on digital innovation while ensuring the human element remains at the heart of it all."

"I really enjoyed the discussions and the high caliber of attendees at the event. It opened my mind to fresh perspectives and made for a very positive experience overall. One key takeaway for me was the need to further clarify and promote the concept of sovereign cloud, its different levels of sovereignty must be better understood across the ecosystem. Events like this are vital because digital transformation is done by people, for people. They create the space for collaboration, connection, and real progress. Without them, we’d just be stuck in neutral."

"It was a wonderful experience participating in the summit. The event brought together insightful and inspiring speakers from across industries, each sharing practical experiences around digital transformation. The networking was especially valuable, I had meaningful conversations around cybersecurity, cost challenges, and emerging technologies. It’s clear that the nation is positioning itself as a global hub for AI and digital leadership, and this summit served as a powerful platform to exchange ideas aligned with that vision. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to stay ahead in the digital space."

Overall, it was a beneficial and positive experience. We found that the data center market in Saudi Arabia is booming, with a growing demand for AI-specific data centers, and we’re ready to deliver them. While the extreme heat presents a challenge, we are prepared for it and look forward to entering the market as designers, subcontractors, and technical experts, seeking a trusted partner to collaborate with. We are confident it was a valuable event and plan to return next year.

The event was excellently organized, providing a great platform to meet new customers and discuss the latest in cooling technologies, particularly for AI applications. The focus on the region's unique cooling challenges, especially in Saudi Arabia, highlighted the need for innovative solutions like direct liquid cooling to handle growing heat dissipation demands. The smaller, more focused nature of the event allowed for better networking and deeper discussions, which participants found invaluable for future collaborations.

At the Data Center Xpo, experts discussed the importance of data centers, highlighting technologies like cooling, buildings, and hybrids. A key focus was the correlation between artificial intelligence, large-scale computational power, and the energy and cooling needs of data centers. The growing demand for hyperscale infrastructure now requires gigawatt-level power, which changes the industry's foundational requirements.

The summit effectively addressed key challenges in supporting AI workloads with data centers, showcasing innovative solutions for power and heat management. It provided valuable networking opportunities, fostering collaboration among both familiar and new industry contacts. Additionally, the focus on regional and global cloud computing integration highlighted the summit's relevance for future tech growth.

The summit was a great initiative for the hybrid cloud data center industry, with major players like Retal and MIS showcasing impactful solutions. Emerging trends, especially around security and zero-trust environments, were key topics of discussion, highlighting the sector’s growth. The panel discussions were insightful, and the event fostered valuable networking opportunities, making it a rewarding experience overall.

The event was a great opportunity to engage with key stakeholders in the data center sector, especially in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 context. Our joint venture with Eton aims to support data center developers by providing energy solutions and infrastructure. Overall, the event was successful, and we look forward to even greater collaboration and participation next year.

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