Ransomware Attacks on Professional Services in the UAE
Ransomware groups have claimed 24 professional services organisations in the United Arab Emirates since 2020, which is 21.4% of all attributed UAE claims. LockBit 3.0 accounts for 4 of them. The earliest claim in this sector was recorded on and the most recent on .
Data as of , drawn from 192 leak-site claims collected by ransomware.live. How this data is collected and filtered.
Which groups claim UAE professional services organisations
All groups| Name | Relative volume | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| LockBit 3.0 | 4 | 16.7% | |
| RansomHub | 3 | 12.5% | |
| Arcus Media | 1 | 4.2% | |
| Cloak | 1 | 4.2% | |
| Coinbase Cartel | 1 | 4.2% | |
| DragonForce | 1 | 4.2% | |
| Everest | 1 | 4.2% | |
| FLocker | 1 | 4.2% | |
| INC Ransom | 1 | 4.2% | |
| Krybit | 1 | 4.2% | |
| LockBit 2.0 | 1 | 4.2% | |
| LockBit 5.0 | 1 | 4.2% | |
| Total (all rows) | 24 | 100% |
Showing the top 12 of 24 total.
How Professional Services claims spread across periods
Professional Services absorbs 24 claimed organisations from 19 separate ransomware groups, the widest spread of attackers of any UAE sector.
Professional Services is the most claimed UAE sector at 24 organisations
Professional Services ranks first of 13 UAE sectors. It is also the only sector with claims in every period on record. It carried 3 claims across 2020 to 2022, then 4, then 7, then 5, then 5.
The count sits nearly three times the average of 8.6 claims per active sector. Firms here should plan for a steady baseline rather than a passing wave.
Nineteen groups share 24 Professional Services claims
Professional Services draws 19 distinct ransomware groups, the widest spread of any UAE sector. LockBit 3.0 leads with 4 claimed organisations and RansomHub follows with 3. Every other group appears once or twice. No operation has established a durable hold on the sector.
Professional Services is also the only UAE sector with claims in every period on record. It carried 3 claims across 2020 to 2022, then 4, then 7, then 5, then 5. Firms here should plan for a steady baseline rather than a passing wave.
What this means for UAE organisations
- Treat client data as the asset under threat, because law firms, consultancies and agencies hold concentrated records belonging to their clients.
- Map your obligations under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law, which applies federally to any organisation processing personal data in the UAE.
- Check whether you handle Dubai government data as a supplier, because DESC ISR v3 and its 13 control domains then reach your systems through the contract.
- Assume a generalist attacker rather than a specialist one, given that 19 groups have claimed organisations in this sector.
- Test third-party and remote access paths first, since professional firms connect outward to client environments by design.
