Huawei is working with various government entities with the goal of establishing the UAE as a "globally-trusted digital oasis" that is safe from potential cyber threats, said Aloysius Cheang, the company’s chief security officer for the UAE.
The Shenzhen-headquartered company created the new post of CSO last October during the Covid-19 pandemic to help the Emirates achieve its goals of setting up smart cities and e-governments while "keeping the nation’s critical infrastructure safe".
Huawei was also appointed the co-chair of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation – Computer Emergency Response Team’s (OIC-CERT's) 5G security working group at the recently held Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference in Dubai.
It is mandated to ensure the end-to-end cyber security for OIC member states.
"As the country accelerates its digital transformation journey, we have come up with infallible solutions and safe designs to ensure the confidentiality of data and safety of critical infrastructure,” Mr Cheang told The National on the sidelines of Gisec.
In the UAE, the company is working to train local talent in cyber security and enter into public private partnerships to create a "robust security system", he said.
"Cyber threat landscape is continuously changing … it knows no borders. Everyday is a new challenge, it will hit you without you even knowing it ... like what happened with [the] SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline breaches."
"Therefore, to build [the] local capacity and to enable a foolproof environment, we aim to have more cyber security professionals on ground. Huawei has adjusted to the local conditions and drafted a tailor-made strategy to address the regional requirements," Mr Cheang added.
Rapid digitalisation and the growing number of connected devices have increased the risk of cyber threats to companies and individuals, particularly in the Middle East.
The cost of a data breach in the UAE and Saudi Arabia – the Arab world’s two largest economies – increased 9.4 per cent last year to $6.53 million per breach on average, according to a report from IBM Security.
The figure is higher than the global average of $3.86m per breach and is the second-highest average among the 17 regions surveyed.
Huawei, which is accused by the US administration of aiding Beijing in espionage through its products, a charge it has repeatedly denied, is one of the main players in the countrywide roll out of 5G in the UAE.
"Huawei is always trying to do more and increase its security investment in this region to support various PPP projects that we have committed," said Mr Cheang. He did not specify how much Huawei aims to invest in the UAE.
"Most of the cyber criminals are motivated by quick financial gains. Due to the presence of many high-worth targets in the Middle East, this region is always on the radar of cyber criminals."