As the United Arab Emirates rapidly advances its adoption of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure, cybersecurity strategies must evolve to keep pace, according to Meriam ElOuazzani, Vice President for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa at Censys. The cybersecurity firm made its debut at GISEC, the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference, underscoring the significance of Internet-wide visibility in the region’s shifting cyber risk landscape.

ElOuazzani highlighted that traditional security models, which rely on internal visibility and a fixed asset inventory, are becoming insufficient. Attackers typically begin their operations from the Internet, identifying exposed infrastructure and third-party dependencies often unknown to organizations themselves. Providing an “outside-in” perspective is therefore critical for defenders to understand what is publicly accessible and to act on that intelligence.

The ongoing transition toward more distributed, interconnected, and dynamic IT environments—fueled by rapid cloud and AI adoption—has expanded the attack surface dramatically. Cloud services and AI infrastructure can be provisioned swiftly, while mergers, acquisitions, and shadow IT further complicate asset tracking. These changes create challenges for security teams that traditionally start with known inventories, whereas attackers start by probing Internet-visible assets.

Censys’ research portfolio, including initiatives like Operation Digital Shield, sheds light on vulnerabilities facing governments and critical infrastructure operators in the UAE. The firm’s global findings reveal approximately 134,000 Internet-exposed Industrial Control Systems (ICS) hosts, with a significant 70 percent located on consumer and mobile networks—an indicator of operational connectivity raising risk. ElOuazzani emphasized the importance of public-private collaboration, citing U.S. efforts with the Environmental Protection Agency in identifying and mitigating exposed water systems, which achieved remediation of over 94 percent of detected exposures within a year.

To help security teams better assess and respond to emerging cyber threats, Censys offers ARC, a platform that provides comprehensive threat intelligence extending beyond isolated indicators like IP addresses or domain names. By analyzing infrastructure patterns, malware activity, and attacker behaviors across the global Internet, ARC enables organizations to understand persistent characteristics of adversary systems and predict potential moves, supporting more informed, automated, and AI-driven security operations.

ElOuazzani noted that the cyber threat landscape is increasingly shaped by AI technologies, which accelerate both malicious activity and the growth of Internet-exposed infrastructure. Censys data shows that over 294,000 IP addresses currently expose at least one AI or large language model tool, marking a 60 percent increase in nine months. Emerging technologies such as MCP servers and agent frameworks are further integrating AI into enterprise systems and data flows.

For cybersecurity leaders in the UAE, the takeaway is clear: as innovation rapidly transforms the digital environment, continuous, real-time visibility into Internet-facing assets is essential. Attempting to secure future infrastructure with outdated inventories will leave organizations vulnerable to evolving threats.