Shieldworkz featured in Gulf News

Shieldworkz featured in Gulf News as partner on UAE’s first Drone Cybersecurity Guidelines

Shieldworkz is proud to announce it was named in national coverage for its role as a strategic partner in the development of the UAE Cybersecurity Council’s first national Drone Cybersecurity Guidelines. Developed in collaboration with national stakeholders and industry partners, the Guidelines set a clear, practical baseline to protect UAV operations, data and national infrastructure from growing cyber risks.

The UAE’s new Drone Cybersecurity Guidelines mark a major milestone for safe drone adoption across government, commercial and industrial sectors. Shieldworkz contributed specialist expertise in operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT) and drone protection to help shape the Guidelines’ pragmatic controls, detection strategies and lifecycle security recommendations.

Shieldworkz featured in Gulf News as partner on UAE’s first Drone Cybersecurity Guidelines

What the Guidelines do

The Guidelines provide a comprehensive framework for securing unmanned aerial systems across their entire lifecycle - from design and manufacturing through deployment, maintenance and decommissioning. Key focus areas include:

Secure design and supply-chain assurance for drone components and firmware.

Protection and hardening of telemetry and communications links.

Secure ground-station and command-and-control (C2) architectures.

Operational monitoring, incident detection and response playbooks tailored for drones.

Data integrity, privacy and secure cloud integrations for drone services.

What the Guidelines do

Secure design and supply-chain assurance for drone components and firmware.

Protection and hardening of telemetry and communications links.

Secure ground-station and command-and-control (C2) architectures.

Operational monitoring, incident detection and response playbooks tailored for drones.

Data integrity, privacy and secure cloud integrations for drone services.

Why this matters

Drones are rapidly expanding across sectors - logistics, agriculture, environmental monitoring, infrastructure inspection and emergency response - making cyber risk an operational safety issue, not just an IT problem. The Guidelines help standardise best practices so operators, vendors and regulators can safely scale drone capabilities while protecting airspace, critical infrastructure and sensitive data.

Shieldworkz role and contribution

Shieldworkz provided subject-matter expertise focused on the intersection of OT, IoT and aerial systems. Our contributions included technical recommendations for:

Threat-informed risk assessments specific to UAV architectures (firmware, comms, ground stations, and cloud services).

Practical controls to protect safety-critical functions and reduce attack surfaces.

Detection strategies and monitoring requirements for telemetry anomalies and supply-chain compromise indicators.

Operational playbooks and lifecycle processes to ensure ongoing resilience as drone fleets and software evolve.

These inputs were designed to be readily implementable by manufacturers, integrators and operators - striking a balance between robust security and real-world operational constraints.

Guidance for organisations

Organisations that develop, buy or operate drones should use the Guidelines as a baseline and take the following steps:

Adopt the Guidelines as the security baseline for procurement and operations.

Conduct threat-informed risk assessments that map drone system components and prioritise mitigations for safety-critical functions.

Embed security across the lifecycle - from secure-by-design development and supply-chain vetting to secure decommissioning.

Deploy monitoring and incident response tailored to UAV telemetry and command channels.

Work with specialist partners where needed to translate the Guidelines into technical controls, testing programs and operational playbooks.

Why this matters

Shieldworkz role and contribution

Shieldworkz provided subject-matter expertise focused on the intersection of OT, IoT and aerial systems. Our contributions included technical recommendations for:

Threat-informed risk assessments specific to UAV architectures (firmware, comms, ground stations, and cloud services).

Practical controls to protect safety-critical functions and reduce attack surfaces.

Detection strategies and monitoring requirements for telemetry anomalies and supply-chain compromise indicators.

Operational playbooks and lifecycle processes to ensure ongoing resilience as drone fleets and software evolve.

These inputs were designed to be readily implementable by manufacturers, integrators and operators - striking a balance between robust security and real-world operational constraints.

Guidance for organisations

Organisations that develop, buy or operate drones should use the Guidelines as a baseline and take the following steps:

Adopt the Guidelines as the security baseline for procurement and operations.

Conduct threat-informed risk assessments that map drone system components and prioritise mitigations for safety-critical functions.

Embed security across the lifecycle - from secure-by-design development and supply-chain vetting to secure decommissioning.

Deploy monitoring and incident response tailored to UAV telemetry and command channels.

Work with specialist partners where needed to translate the Guidelines into technical controls, testing programs and operational playbooks.

Shieldworkz statement

“We welcome the establishment of a formal, national baseline for drone cybersecurity,” said Shieldworkz leadership. “Clear, pragmatic guidelines are essential for enabling safe innovation. Shieldworkz remains committed to helping industry and government actors translate these standards into operational resilience - protecting people, infrastructure and data while enabling responsible drone growth.”

About Shieldworkz

Shieldworkz specialises in protecting operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT) environments and connected aerial systems. We help public- and private-sector organisations identify threats, design resilient architectures, and implement detection and response capabilities tailored to complex, safety-critical systems.