UAE Ransomware Attacks in 2023
Ransomware groups claimed 12 organisations in the United Arab Emirates during 2023, which is 10.7% of all attributed UAE claims since 2020. LockBit 3.0 was the most active group in this period with 5 claimed organisations. Figures reflect leak-site monitoring as of 21 October 2026.
Data as of , drawn from 192 leak-site claims collected by ransomware.live. How this data is collected and filtered.
Which groups claim UAE organisations in 2023
All groups| Name | Relative volume | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| LockBit 3.0 | 5 | 41.7% | |
| Stormous | 2 | 16.7% | |
| Alphv | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Cloak | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Clop | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Medusa | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Ransomhouse | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Total | 12 | 100% |
Which sectors were hit in 2023
| Name | Relative volume | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Services | 4 | 33.3% | |
| Government and Defense | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Technology | 2 | 16.7% | |
| Financial Services | 2 | 16.7% | |
| Retail and E-Commerce | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Transportation | 1 | 8.3% | |
| Healthcare | 0 | 0% | |
| Energy and Utilities | 0 | 0% | |
| Hospitality | 0 | 0% | |
| Other | 0 | 0% | |
| Education | 0 | 0% | |
| Agriculture and Food Production | 0 | 0% | |
| Total | 12 | 100% |
UAE ransomware claims rose 71.4% in 2023 to 12 organisations, with LockBit 3.0 alone accounting for 5 of them.
UAE ransomware claims rose to 12 organisations in 2023
Claims rose 71.4% in 2023 against the 7 recorded across 2020 to 2022 combined. What makes the year distinct is not the rise but its concentration. A single operation accounted for close to half the year’s total, which has not happened in any period since.
One group accounted for almost half of 2023
LockBit 3.0 claimed 5 UAE organisations in 2023, the highest single-group total in any period on this tracker. Stormous followed with 2, while Alphv and Cloak each account for 1. That concentration makes 2023 unlike the periods either side of it.
Professional Services carried 4 claims in 2023 and Technology 2. Financial Services also recorded 2, with Government and Defense and Retail and E-Commerce at 1 each. Technology appears in the record for the first time in this period.
What this means for UAE organisations
- Read 2023 as the year a single operation dominated UAE claims, which has not happened since.
- Compare the 71.4% rise against later periods before treating any one year as exceptional.
- Note that LockBit 3.0 has recorded no UAE claims after February 2024, so its 2023 methods describe history rather than current activity.
- Track sector distribution rather than group names, because the sectors persisted while the leading group did not.
- Treat Technology’s first appearance here as the start of a run that peaked the following year.
- Apply the methodology page when comparing periods, since counts measure published claims rather than confirmed incidents.
- Note that 12 claims across a full year is low against later periods, so treat 2023 figures as an early reading rather than a settled baseline.
- Read the 5 claims from a single group as the most concentrated year in this dataset, which no later period repeats.