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Doha, Qatar: Qatar is emerging as a regional leader in strengthening cyber resilience, underpinned by robust national frameworks and a clear strategic vision, according to regional market experts.
The country has established comprehensive initiatives, including the National Cyber Security Strategy 2024–2030 and national incident management systems, which are helping organizations shift toward a more proactive and prepared security posture.
“To take full advantage of these frameworks, organisations must shift from compliance to real resilience,” Amer Bazerbachi, Partner and Head of CyberSecurity Advisory at KPMG Qatar, told The Peninsula. “In this environment, resilience is not a support function; it is a condition for business survival and national security.”
Bazerbachi noted that while Qatar’s progress is notable, the broader cybersecurity landscape across the Middle East is becoming increasingly complex and interconnected.
Risks are no longer confined to the digital domain, but instead reflect a “blended” environment where cyber threats intersect with physical disruption and geopolitical instability.
Recent developments illustrate this shift as regional disruptions highlight how vulnerabilities now extend beyond direct cyberattacks to include disruptions impacting cloud providers, supply chains, and critical services.
“The threat landscape has evolved to include ransomware and extortion, identity compromise, and exploitation of internet-facing systems, all layered with physical disruption and misinformation pressure,” Bazerbachi said.
“Resilience today depends on redundancy, alternate sites, recoverable backups, and the ability to operate even when parts of the digital estate are unavailable.”
Abdul Rashid, a regional cybersecurity expert, noted the positive trajectory within Qatar’s market, stating that the country is effectively translating strategy into execution.
“Qatar is ahead of many peers in embedding cybersecurity into business and national priorities,” Rashid said. “There is stronger regulatory alignment, increased investment in secure digital infrastructure, and growing awareness at the executive level. This is creating a more mature, resilient market that is better prepared to handle both cyber and real-world disruptions.”
Across the region, several key threat trends continue to shape organizational risk. Ransomware and extortion remain dominant, with figures from Microsoft showing they account for more than half of cyberattacks. Identity-based attacks are also rising sharply, largely driven by password vulnerabilities.
At the same time, attackers are operating with increasing speed as research from Google Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant indicates that the time between vulnerability disclosure and exploitation has narrowed significantly, often to just a few days.
Geopolitical tensions have further intensified the threat environment, contributing to a rise in disruptive cyber campaigns, website defacements, and data theft linked to hacktivist and state-aligned groups. Industry leaders also warn of the growing influence of misinformation.
“Organisations must address both the technical and human dimensions of cybersecurity. People remain a critical factor, so awareness, leadership support, and clear communication must complement strong technical controls,” Rashid added.
Experts say the country is not only strengthening its own resilience but also setting a benchmark for the wider region by demonstrating how strategic investment, governance, and execution can turn risk into a foundation for sustainable growth.
