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Dubai Police Launch Dh223,000 Cybersecurity Contest
The “Capture the Flag” challenge and new cyber platform are part of a wider push on digital safety within the Emirate.
Dubai Police have unveiled a new Dh223,000 hacking contest, putting students and professionals through their paces during Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
The “Capture the Flag” challenge is split into three tracks: school students competing for Dh40,000, university entrants for Dh78,000, and professionals for Dh95,000. Online qualifiers run from October 5 until the end of the month, with finalists meeting at the Dubai Police Officers’ Club on October 25-26. Officers said the aim is to surface talent in penetration testing that could bolster future security efforts.
The competition comes as demand for skilled cybersecurity specialists continues to climb across the region. Governments and private firms alike are turning to ethical hackers to stress-test networks, with the UAE positioning itself as a training ground for digital defense.
The contest is only one element of a broader campaign. Police are staging dialogue sessions, workshops for schools and universities, and a forum for businesses to sharpen awareness. The Protection Centre “Hemyah,” better known for programs on drugs or bullying, has shifted focus this month to online threats.
A new digital portal, ecrimehub, went live alongside the campaign. It offers guides on common scams, a library of 60 awareness videos, and an AI assistant that police say can answer questions with near-perfect accuracy. Users can upload screenshots for instant fraud checks. Weekly quizzes will add a public engagement element, with prizes for winners at month’s end.
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“On the ecrimehub website, technology meets public safety in an innovative way,” explained Major Engineer Khalil Al Hosani, Acting Deputy Director of the Cybercrime and Artificial Intelligence Crimes Department.
Police stressed that fraud reports submitted through the portal are investigated immediately, with suspicious accounts or numbers shut down when possible. The push underscores the UAE’s effort to harden its digital landscape and promote safer use of technology, in line with national strategies to build a secure and resilient society.
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Saudi Digital Payments Reach 80% As Cash Use Shrinks
Visa data shows cards and mobile wallets dominate spending, with smartphones now driving a growing share of daily transactions.
Digital payments now account for 80% of all transactions in Saudi Arabia, according to Visa’s latest Where Cash Hides report, another marker of how quickly the Kingdom is moving away from cash.
The share is up four percentage points from a year ago. Around 67% of consumers are now largely non-cash users, paying mainly with cards or mobile wallets. Smartphones are taking a bigger role, with mobile payments making up 16% of transactions.
Cash is retreating in routine spending. Eating out dropped 9%. Bill payments fell 8%, as shoppers opt for faster checkouts and app-based payments.
“The data shows a steady move toward digital payments in Saudi Arabia. Such progress is possible only because banks, fintechs, merchants, and technology partners are moving together in the same direction, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” said Ali Bailoun, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman.
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Despite the recent findings, it’s important to note that cash hasn’t yet disappeared. It still shows up for tips (39%), peer-to-peer transfers (28%) and rent (14%).
Visa points to security features such as tokenization, along with rewards and cashback, as factors nudging more spending onto cards and phones — a shift that tracks with Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 push to digitize commerce.
Saudi Digital Payments Reach 80% As Cash Use Shrinks
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