The Digital Cost of "Oversharing": Why 40% of UAE Residents are Facing Privacy Breaches
The UAE Cybersecurity Council (CSC) has issued an urgent national alert regarding the dangers of "oversharing" on social media. According to the latest data reported, nearly 40 per cent of social media users in the UAE have already experienced privacy violations.
For the UAE's high-net-worth community and corporate executives, a single "check-in" or a family photo is no longer just a social post—it is actionable intelligence for cybercriminals.
At Conflict Advisory Group, we specialise in the Corporate Intelligence and Digital Forensics required to mitigate these risks and recover assets when digital boundaries are breached.
Small Details, Professional Risks: The Anatomy of a Targeted Attack
The CSC warning emphasises that cybercriminals are no longer relying on generic phishing. Instead, they are harvesting "small details" to design high-precision fraudulent schemes.
The data points currently being weaponised in the UAE include:
- Travel Plans: Posting about upcoming vacations signals when a high-value property is vacant or when an executive is out of the office and "offline," creating a window for CEO impersonation fraud.
- Workplace Addresses & Staff Photos: Scammers use these to map out corporate hierarchies, allowing them to target junior employees with "urgent" requests from spoofed executive accounts.
- Personal Contact Data: Phone numbers and family details are used to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) or to craft convincing social engineering "emergency" scams.
Beyond the Alert: How Conflict Advisory Group Hardens Your Perimeter
The UAE’s "Cyber Pulse" campaign highlights that individual behaviour is the first line of defence. However, for those with a high public or professional profile, standard privacy settings are often insufficient.
Our Strategic Advisory services include:
1. Digital Footprint De-Risking
We conduct a comprehensive audit of your digital presence (and that of your family or key staff) to identify "oversharing" vulnerabilities. We provide a structured plan to sanitize publicly available data that could be used for identity theft or physical security breaches.
2. Impersonation & Brand Protection
With the rise of "cloned" profiles, we use advanced monitoring to identify fraudulent accounts using your likeness or corporate brand. Our team provides the technical evidence required for rapid takedowns and coordinates with UAE authorities to neutralise the threat.
3. Asset Tracing & Incident Response
If a privacy breach has led to financial exfiltration, speed is the only path to recovery. We utilise specialised Asset Tracing to track the movement of stolen funds across digital and international borders, providing a clear path for legal recovery.
Operating with Compliance in the UAE
As a premier Risk Advisory hub, Conflict Advisory Group operates within the strict legal framework of the UAE. We focus on Fact-Finding and Technical Intelligence to provide our clients with a clear, safe, and regulated path to security:
- Intelligence Gathering: Uncovering how a breach occurred without overstepping legal boundaries.
- Preventative Forensics: Hardening devices and accounts against future "Cyber Pulse" risks.
- Asset Location: Identifying where wealth has been diverted following a digital fraud.
From Awareness to Action
The UAE authority's warning is clear: irresponsible sharing significantly increases the risk of cyber fraud. In 2026, privacy is a luxury that must be actively managed. For the HNW community and corporate leaders, protecting your digital life is as essential as protecting your physical assets.
Are you concerned about your digital exposure or have you been affected by a privacy breach? Explore our Risk Management Services or contact Conflict Advisory Group today for a confidential Asset Tracing consultation.