*The study covers the period from early 2024 through the first quarter of 2025. The countries examined include Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE, and Yemen.
For businesses, investing in cybersecurity is no longer optional — it is a necessity driven by strict regulations (with fines of up to $500,000 under UAE PDPL and NESA), as well as the risk of reputational damage and loss of competitiveness. Without compliance with standards such as ISO 27001 and DESC, collaboration with government bodies and financial institutions is effectively off-limits.
The most vulnerable industries remain the public sector, transportation, healthcare, and retail.
Retail and financial sectors show comparatively stronger cybersecurity resilience. The more a business relies on digital infrastructure, the higher its cybersecurity priority tends to be.