Case Study
Cybersecurity Remediation and UAE Information Assurance Program
A cybersecurity remediation program after an external security assessment, plus a UAE Information Assurance gap assessment of 134 controls and an 8-workstream maturity program.
Outcomes
- Completed all 3 priority remediation workstreams: external exposure, middleware hardening, and API/application security
- Reduced the external attack surface
- Led a UAE Information Assurance framework gap assessment of 134 controls
- Set up an 8-workstream maturity program targeting 75%+ of controls at Managed maturity within 12-18 months
- Established the Information Security Steering Committee
Context
A government super-app holds citizens’ identities, payments and personal data, so security work never really finishes. This program had two parts. The first was fixing what an external security assessment found. The second is building lasting maturity against the UAE Information Assurance framework.
Remediation
I led a cybersecurity remediation program after an external security assessment. We completed all 3 priority remediation workstreams:
- External exposure.
- Middleware hardening.
- API and application security.
Together they reduced the external attack surface.
Information Assurance maturity
I led a UAE Information Assurance framework gap assessment of 134 controls. From it I set up an 8-workstream maturity program targeting 75%+ of controls at “Managed” maturity within 12–18 months.
I also established the Information Security Steering Committee.
Security and data residency are also built into the AI programs I lead, including the Digital Sharjah Assistant and the sovereign AI-assisted engineering program.
Quality
I designed a QA automation strategy with a tiered coverage model across web, mobile and APIs. It targets ~80% automated smoke coverage of critical user journeys.
Why it matters
Remediation fixes what has already been found. A maturity program makes security a routine part of how the organisation works. Running both together under a dedicated steering committee is what turns a one-off assessment into lasting improvement.