CyberKnight and Netskope have officially signed a strategic value-added distribution partnership at the CyberKnight stand during GISEC 2025. Leveraging CyberKnight’s proven expertise and coverage, this collaboration aims to empower regional entities to modernize security and safeguard data across all sectors. The partnership ensures enteprise and government organizations can benefit from Netskope’s global innovation and local infrastructure to accelerate performance and get unprecedented visibility into any cloud, AI, web, and private application activity while reducing risks.

As a modern SASE and SSE solution, the Netskope One platform delivers unified data security and adaptive threat protection, combining CASB, SWG, ZTNA, DLP, DSPM and other capabilities with patented AI innovations that detect anomalies, block zero-day threats, and prevent data exfiltration across cloud and AI apps, endpoints, and IoT. With 70% of enterprises in the region now prioritizing AI-driven threat detection and zero-trust frameworks, Netskope’s cloud-native, AI-ready architecture and expansive NewEdge network provide the speed, resilience, and performance required for today’s digital enterprises.

“Netskope goes to market through a network of strategic partnerships and alliances across the region. We work closely with our channel partners who over many years have built strong relationships with enterprise customers and government, who rely on them to recommend and deliver modern cybersecurity solutions, essential to stay ahead of an ever-evolving threat landscape”. “Netskope was founded on the belief that continuous innovation is essential to help organizations modernize networks and security,” said Michael Herman, Vice President Channel Sales, EMEA & LATAM at Netskope”.

“Our partnership with CyberKnight, announced at GISEC 2025, will help expand our regional coverage, help our partners deliver modern cybersecurity solutions and better serve organizations in the region to protect data, securely enable AI usage and build cyber resilience for the future. Cyberknight is committed to building a comprehensive set of skills and services to help partners and customers deploy and deliver Netskope technology at scale. This will enable enterprises and governments to embrace digital transformation with confidence, knowing their users, data, and applications are protected by industry- leading, AI-centric security.”

“Partnering with Netskope marks a pivotal step in our mission to bring the world’s most advanced cloud and AI security to the region,” added Avinash Advani, Founder & CEO, at CyberKnight. “With our focus on technical excellence and Netskope’s cutting-edge platform, we will enable our customers to confidently navigate digital transformation, protect critical assets, and achieve compliance in an increasingly complex threat environment. This collaboration will ensure that organizations across the region have access to market-leading, best-of-breed technology to defend against cyber threats as they accelerate the journey to the cloud.”

“Multiple countries in the Middle East have made significant strides in cybersecurity. However, organizations in the region remain an attractive target for cybercriminals, as our research shows,” says Ilya Leonov, Regional Director for MENA, Positive Technologies. “At GISEC Global 2025, we will focus on application security (AppSec) and operational technology security (OT security). Our team will share best practices for using PT Network Attack Discovery, which detects cybercriminal activity in the network traffic and also aids in incident investigation and proactive threat hunting. We’ll also be talking about a range of our other products and solutions to help you get real value from your cybersecurity investments. Additionally, our experts will demonstrate sophisticated attack methods and explain how to defend against them.”

Visitors to the Positive Technologies booth will have the opportunity to observe offensive security specialists simulating DMA attacks, using various devices to bypass defenses and gain access to valuable information. An accessible and user-friendly tool for chip security analysis will also be presented to GISEC participants. This tool, which simulates fault injection attacks, will be demonstrated in action, and the Positive Technologies team will deliver a workshop for cybersecurity professionals.

Positive Technologies will also be organizing four activities in the Hack-O-Sphere zone. At Fixathon, guests will have the opportunity to test their skills in fixing code vulnerabilities and improve their secure development skills. The second activity is dedicated to steganography: guests will be encouraged to find words encrypted in the works of renowned artists and get acquainted with this fascinating method of information transmission. At the workshop on hacking devices, participants will learn how attackers exploit physical access vulnerabilities and how to defend against such attacks. At the soldering workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to craft a useful mini-gadget.

The collaboration between AmiViz and SimSpace will bring state-of-the-art cybersecurity technologies and comprehensive training programs to organizations in the Middle East. Leveraging AmiViz’s extensive regional presence and deep understanding of the local market, combined with SimSpace’s cutting-edge cyber range platform and expertise, the partnership is set to deliver unparalleled cybersecurity solutions tailored to the unique needs of the region.

“We are excited to join forces with SimSpace to enhance cybersecurity capabilities in the Middle East. This partnership aligns with our commitment to providing the most advanced and effective cybersecurity solutions to our clients,” said Ilyas Mohammed, Chief Operating Officer of AmiViz. “Together, we will empower organizations to proactively address emerging cyber threats and build robust cyber defences.”

SimSpace’s cyber range platform enables realistic simulation of cyber-attacks, providing organizations with the opportunity to test their defences, identify vulnerabilities, and train their cybersecurity teams in a controlled and secure environment. This collaboration will also offer customized training programs designed to elevate the skills of cybersecurity professionals and ensure they are well-prepared to tackle the evolving threat landscape.

The partnership will also include joint marketing and promotional activities across the Middle East region. AmiViz and SimSpace will collaborate on various initiatives, including training, workshops, and industry events, to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and showcase their innovative solutions. These efforts will help organizations understand the critical role of advanced cybersecurity measures and the benefits of adopting cutting-edge technologies provided by AmiViz and SimSpace.

“We are thrilled to partner with AmiViz as we expand our presence in the Middle East. This collaboration marks a significant step in bringing SimSpace’s cutting-edge cyber range technology to organizations in the region, empowering them to enhance their cyber resilience. Together with AmiViz, we look forward to helping businesses and governments strengthen their defenses against evolving threats.” said Lee Rossey, CTO & Co-founder, SimSpace.

The investigation revealed approximately 900 potential victims, most of whom are everyday users. Among those affected are employees working in industries such as oil and gas, construction, IT, and agriculture. Analysis showed that most victims are located in Libya (49%), Saudi Arabia (17%), Egypt (10%), Turkey (9%), the UAE (7%), Qatar (5%), and other countries.

The group behind the campaign was dubbed Desert Dexter, named after one of the suspected authors. During the investigation, researchers found that the attackers rely on temporary accounts and fake news channels on Facebook to bypass the platform’s ad filters. A similar attack was documented by Check Point researchers in 2019, but the campaign described here introduces new techniques to the attack chain.

Denis Kuvshinov, Head of Threat Intelligence, Positive Technologies Expert Security Center, said, “This attack follows a multi-stage process. The victim is lured from a promotional post to a file-sharing service or a Telegram channel operated by the attackers, which imitates a media outlet. From there, the victim receives a RAR archive containing malicious files. These files download and execute AsyncRAT, gather necessary system information, and send it to the attackers’ Telegram bot. The AsyncRAT version used in this campaign includes a modified IdSender module that collects information about cryptocurrency wallet extensions, two-factor authentication extensions in various browsers, and software used to manage cryptocurrency wallets.”

While Desert Dexter’s tools are not particularly sophisticated, their use of social media ads, legitimate services, and the geopolitical context of the region has made the campaign effective. The group posts messages about allegedly leaked confidential information, making the attack chain versatile enough to infect the devices of not only regular users but also high-ranking officials.

Researchers note that ongoing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa have made the region a prime target for cyberattacks aimed at both government institutions and individual users. Political themes remain a common lure in phishing campaigns, with attacks becoming more sophisticated and malware being continuously adapted to meet the needs of different threat actors.

According to recent research conducted by International SOS, 75% of surveyed senior risk professionals identify social and political unrest as a top risk, while 69% anticipate significant impacts from geopolitical tensions on their organisations in 2025. These statistics underscore the critical need for comprehensive crisis management strategies, as detailed in International SOS’ latest whitepaper, to help organisations navigate these escalating challenges. The whitepaper offers specialised strategies and tools to enable local businesses to better anticipate risks, respond effectively, build resilience and drive long-term growth.

Michael Tutte, Regional Security Manager

The paper outlines three key approaches to equipping organisations in the UAE to prepare and respond to uncertainties:

1. Anticipating and mitigating risks with advanced modelling tools
2. Strengthening leadership capabilities to act decisively under pressure
3. Embedding employee wellbeing at the core of crisis planning to build sustainable resilience

Drawing on real-world feedback from security leaders at global organisations including Michelin and L’Oréal, the whitepaper serves as a vital resource for decision-makers in the UAE, enabling them to navigate uncertainties effectively while demonstrating how anticipating and preparing for crises can help companies in successfully averting major challenges during political conflicts, natural disasters, unrest and so on.

“In a world where uncertainty has become the norm, crisis management is no longer a simple reaction to unforeseen events, but a way to turn every challenge into an opportunity for growth and innovation. The release of this whitepaper aligns with International SOS’ commitment to safeguarding the health and safety of employees, and ensuring operational resilience of organisations across UAE and beyond,” said Gautier Porot, Global Crisis Management Practice Leader.

The insightful whitepaper emphasises the need for businesses in the UAE to move beyond traditional crisis response strategies and adopt innovative frameworks that prioritise resilience, collaboration, and adaptability. Given the geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties that are compelling businesses in the region to evaluate their risk management strategies, the insights presented in the whitepaper are timely and actionable focused on employee wellbeing and scaling business despite the challenging scenario.

During the webinar, Michael Tutte, Regional Security Manager of Middle East commented, “Crisis management, when approached with purpose, becomes a pillar of business continuity and a driver of innovation. The whitepaper provides practical frameworks, including the Gold-Silver-Bronze crisis response model, and stresses the importance of continuous training through scenario-based simulations and media preparedness exercises. These tools will enable UAE organisations to remain agile and responsive to emerging threats driving long-term success.”

The analysis reveals that a vast majority of Middle East retailers (90%) have published a DMARC record, and 8 out of the top 20 (40%) have the strictest and recommended DMARC policy (‘reject’) in place. This is a slight improvement from last year – where findings suggested that only 30% had implemented the DMARC policy at the ‘reject’ level and were proactively blocking fraudulent emails from reaching consumers. According to a study by IMARC, the Middle East retail market size is projected to grow by 4.21% from 2024-2032, driven by a surge in population and evolving consumer preference for online shopping. Through the high traffic of retail activity, attackers are now using new tactics to exploit their human targets.

Emile Abou Saleh, Regional Director, Middle East & Africa at Proofpoint, said, “Middle East retailers realize the risks millions of consumers face daily when they shop online. Our research shows that phishing, ransomware, and business email compromise remain among the top attack vectors plaguing organizations across all industries. Amid a surge in e-commerce in the region, deploying authentication protocols, such as DMARC, will be critical to support the growth and security posture of the retail sector.”

Email remains the number one threat vector, and phishing emails can lead to unsafe websites that gather personal data, such as credentials and credit card data. Therefore, it is always best to go directly to the source of the advertised deal by typing a known website address directly into a browser. For special offer codes, Proofpoint recommends entering them at the checkout to see if they are legitimate. It also recommends using a password manager to make the online experience seamless, whilst staying safe and using a multi-factor authentication for an added layer of security.

“DNS security is crucial in today’s cybersecurity landscape due to its critical role in preventing cyberattacks. The launch of our operations marks a significant step in Secure Domains’ commitment in reshaping the cybersecurity and tech industry across the GCC and Africa region by leveraging AI and ML. We are a customer-centric organization fully focused on delivering key values related to reducing cyber risk, increasing productivity and optimizing cost while maintaining compliance,” said Wissam Saadeddine, Co-Founder of Secure Domains.

Wissam Saadeddine, Co-Founder of Secure Domains

“As organizations in the region undergo digital transformation and adopt emerging technologies like SD-WAN and cloud computing, their security exposure expands. This leaves connected devices and networks more vulnerable to a range of cyber threats. We are excited to bring our expertise and advanced solutions to help organizations safeguard their operations against evolving cyber threats. We also look forward to supporting the UAE’s journey towards a more secure digital future,” Mohammed Al Tenbakji, Co-founder of Secure Domains added.

With 90% of cyber threats leveraging DNS in the cyber kill chain, DNS Armor positions itself as a critical first line of defence for businesses. Combining advanced threat intelligence with AI-driven DNS security, DNS Armor proactively blocks malicious domains, detects DNS tunnelling, and prevents data exfiltration. DNS Armor empowers organizations to take a proactive approach to cybersecurity, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to stay ahead of evolving threats and safeguard sensitive data

DNS Armor is built to support Managed Service Providers with flexible, scalable multi-tenancy, allowing IT teams to protect the organisation anytime, anywhere while adhering to business policies. DNS Armor is fully operational across 25 data centres strategically located in the US, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, enabling global reach and robust service delivery.

Secure Domains has a strategic roadmap to rapidly enhance and expand the platform, with a focus on adding advanced cybersecurity capabilities and tools. This development will enable the company to better serve its customers in the region, addressing the increasing demand for comprehensive cybersecurity solutions across various industries.

As a part of its go-to-market strategy, Secure Domains aims to expand its channel network by recruiting, enabling, and aligning with key distributors and channel partners in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, and later expanding its operations to other countries across the Middle East. Activating and enabling the channel is key to the company’s growth as a vendor and to its customer success.

With its headquarters in the UAE, Secure Domains is well-positioned to provide comprehensive coverage and support across the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond.

As the region experiences rapid digital transformation, organizations are becoming prime targets for ransomware attacks and sensitive data breaches. Human-powered security platforms, such as HackerOne, leverage the skills of ethical hackers worldwide to offer proactive vulnerability detection that is 35% more cost-effective compared to traditional vulnerability management methods.

HackerOne is a leading provider of human-powered security solutions, with 61% of customers identifying more vulnerabilities when compared with traditional vendors. 22.75% of valid vulnerabilities surfaced in a bug bounty are high or critical, compared to less than 1% found by automated scanners, and 18% of its Pentest findings rated as high or critical severity—nearly double the industry average, demonstrating HackerOne’s exceptional ability to identify and address serious security risks.

“At Evanssion, we remain focused on enabling enterprises to enhance their cybersecurity strategies, and our partnership with HackerOne is both strategic and timely. With our deep regional expertise paired with HackerOne’s global leadership in Human-Powered Security, we are excited to be able to provide substantial value to our partners and customers in the Middle East,” said Navneeth Ramanan, COO of Evanssion.

“Evanssion’s customers across the Middle East can now easily access the creative insights of the global security researcher community to build their security resilience,” said John Addeo, VP of Partnership Sales at HackerOne. “Evanssion’s deep understanding of the region and its customers’ unique challenges makes it an ideal partner for HackerOne to extend our solutions to leading companies in the Middle East.”

Both solutions embody the concept of Cyber Immunity, where IT products are created from the ground up using Secure by Design methodology. This approach ensures “inherent” resistance to the majority of cyberattacks. Cyber Immune solutions are particularly sought after in industries requiring high levels of cybersecurity, reliability and predictability requirements, such as the industrial sector, energy, petrochemistry, transport and logistics, healthcare, and smart city systems.

Kaspersky Appicenter supports all stages of the application lifecycle, connecting developers, global vendors, and end-users of KasperskyOS-based devices. The platform is comprised of three key elements:

1. A developer portal to facilitate successful application development
2. A website with an application catalogue to find available apps for KasperskyOS-based devices
3. Management consoles to search, install, update, and uninstall applications for KasperskyOS-based devices

The developer portal provides SDK and KISG firmware, openly accessible for developers. Currently, the Appicenter website features three applications for Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway: MQTT Publisher, OPC UA Client, and Network Protector. Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway (KISG) is a Cyber Immune gateway designed to secure data transmission between technological and corporate data networks, offering robust protection for the industrial Internet of Things. The newly launched 3.0 version of KISG provides self-testing of key subsystems to monitor the performance of security functions. It enables the verification of the integrity of system files and installed applications and supports the installation of applications from the Kaspersky Appicenter.

The new product can operate in two modes: router and data diode. In router mode, the NAT port forwarding function has been introduced, along with application protocol filtering and industrial protocol inspection (DPI with intrusion detection/prevention function). This enables the blocking of network connections and specific operations based on the application protocol. Multiple gateways can now be combined into a high-availability network cluster, with one gateway active and the others acting as backups. Additionally, the new KISG supports user-configurable static routes for more flexible management of network packets. In data diode mode, user applications can now be executed, with each application running in an isolated environment.

Kaspersky IoT Security Gateway helps customers reduce the cost of building network infrastructure and optimizes cybersecurity processes. It enables centralized device management through a single administration console (Kaspersky Security Center). Untrusted applications can be integrated into a secure operating system, eliminating the risk of vulnerability exploitation or undeclared functionalities. This solution adds an independent layer of protection to existing automation systems and enhances the security of IoT devices.

“Our Cyber Immunity approach is reshaping the future of cybersecurity and is gaining significant momentum in the Middle East and Turkiye, as more organizations recognize the need for inherently secure technologies. The recent updates in our Cyber Immunity portfolio help enhance the security posture of our clients in critical infrastructure industries. In the coming years, we expect this shift to accelerate,” commented Toufic Derbass, Managing Director for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa region.

According to a report from Business Market Insights, the cloud security market in the Middle East is on a rapid growth trajectory, with forecasts indicating an increase from $3,065.98 million in 2022 to $6,370.70 million by 2028. This represents a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.0% during the forecast period. As organizations across the region accelerate their cloud adoption, the need for comprehensive and real-time security solutions has never been greater.

Sysdig’s cutting-edge technology and end-to-end cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) — spanning container and Kubernetes runtime security, cloud security posture, cloud threat detection, investigation, and response, and more — is ideally positioned to meet the region’s evolving needs. Sysdig, which is based on open-source Falco, the de facto cloud threat detection tool, differentiates itself as the only real-time cloud security solution. By partnering with Sysdig, AmiViz will enhance its portfolio with industry-leading cloud security solutions, helping enterprises across the Middle East protect their cloud environments from sophisticated cyber threats.

AmiViz COO Ilyas Mohammed commented, “Our partnership with Sysdig aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing top-tier cybersecurity solutions. The Middle East’s burgeoning cloud security market presents a tremendous opportunity, and Sysdig’s advanced technology will enable us to offer unparalleled protection for cloud-native applications and infrastructure. We are excited to bring these innovative solutions to our partners and customers in the region.”

The Middle East’s rapid digital transformation is driving the need for advanced security solutions to safeguard cloud environments. Sysdig’s solutions offer deep visibility and real-time protection, ensuring that businesses can effectively manage risk across the software lifecycle and maintain compliance in a dynamic and increasingly complex digital landscape.

Sysdig CEO Suresh Vasudevan said, “This partnership with AmiViz is a significant step for Sysdig as we expand our footprint in the Middle East. The region’s cloud security market is growing rapidly, and together with AmiViz, we are well-positioned to help organizations of all sizes and industries harness the speed of the cloud while maintaining security. We look forward to supporting businesses across the Middle East as they navigate their cloud journeys.”