Welcome to SOCRadar’s 2025 Gulf Region Threat Landscape Report!

Explore the latest cyber threats targeting the Gulf region’s public, financial, and digital sectors with SOCRadar’s 2025 Gulf Region Threat Landscape Report. This analysis uncovers the region’s evolving cyber risks, from dark web activity to ransomware and phishing campaigns—equipping cybersecurity professionals with actionable insights to strengthen defenses.

Download the full report now to gain comprehensive insights and protect your organization from the Gulf region’s most critical cyber threats.

Key Insights from the Gulf Region’s Cyber Threat Landscape

Dark Web Activity:
Data leaks dominate the Gulf region’s dark web ecosystem, making up 75% of all dark web threats. Selling activity accounts for 62% of underground posts, highlighting attackers’ strong focus on monetizing stolen information. The UAE (31.6%) and Saudi Arabia (20.6%) together face more than half of all dark web threats, reflecting their strategic digital and economic importance.

Targeted Sectors:
Public Administration (13.6%) and Finance (13.3%) are the most targeted industries, due to the sensitive citizen and financial data they hold. Information services follow, showing increased criminal interest in exploiting data-rich environments and IT service providers.

Ransomware Landscape:
Ransomware activity is concentrated in the UAE (49%) and Saudi Arabia (30%), making up nearly 80% of all recorded attacks. RansomHub (10.6%), Babuk2 (7.8%), and KillSec (7.1%) are the leading groups, while a large number of smaller actors contribute to a fragmented and unpredictable threat landscape.

Phishing Threats:
Phishing attacks primarily target Finance (18.7%) and Public Administration (16.1%), aiming to steal credentials and financial access. The UAE accounts for 46% of phishing activity, followed by Iran (29%) and Saudi Arabia (17%). Over 84% of phishing pages use HTTPS, making malicious sites appear legitimate and more convincing to users.

Why This Report Matters

The Gulf region faces intensifying cyber risks driven by financially motivated threat actors, large-scale data leaks, and concentrated ransomware and phishing activity. The combination of strong digital economies and valuable data assets makes regional organizations attractive targets, underscoring the need for proactive monitoring and intelligence-led defense.

SOCRadar’s report delivers:

• Early visibility into Gulf-specific dark web and ransomware threats.

• Strategic insights into phishing trends across critical sectors.

• Actionable intelligence to enhance regional and organizational cyber resilience.

Take Action Now

Strengthen your defenses with SOCRadar’s advanced threat intelligence solutions:

• Dark Web Monitoring: Detect stolen data and unauthorized access listings early.

• Ransomware Intelligence: Track and mitigate attacks from active ransomware groups.

• Phishing Detection & Response: Identify brand impersonation and credential theft attempts in real time.