As cybersecurity threats grow more advanced across the Middle East, security leaders are under pressure to balance rapid Digital Transformation with stronger resilience and regulatory compliance. Mutaz Alshafie, Sr. Manager Sales Team – Arabia and Turkey, Recorded Future, tells us how intelligence-driven automation and Autonomous Threat Operations are helping CISOs across the region stay ahead of evolving cyberattacks.

CISOs across MEA and particularly in Saudi Arabia are dealing with rapid Digital Transformation, new regulations and growing attack surfaces. From your perspective, what are the top challenges regional security leaders face today?

CISOs in the Middle East are navigating a perfect storm of modernisation, regulation and exposure. Every new cloud workload, connected device, or third-party integration widens the attack surface. The real challenge isn’ t visibility, it’ s prioritisation. They’ re flooded with alerts and intelligence, but the key is to quickly distinguish signal from noise and act with precision.

Saudi Arabia, in particular, has made tremendous strides in digitisation under Vision 2030, but that growth brings complexity. Leaders are also dealing with new regulatory frameworks that demand demonstrable controls and rapid incident reporting. Combine that with global talent shortages and tool sprawl, and you have teams struggling to do more with less – making intelligence-driven automation essential.

How has the threat landscape in MEA and KSA evolved over the past year, and what types of attacks or adversaries are now keeping CISOs awake at night?

We’ re witnessing a clear shift from opportunistic attacks to targeted, well-orchestrated operations. Over the last year, Ransomware-as-a-Service and supply-chain compromises have dominated the threat picture. What’ s unique in our region is the growing intersection between cybercrime and geopolitical activity, e. g., threat actors are blending financial motives with influence or disruption campaigns.

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