Cyberattacks on healthcare systems are surging globally. From ransomware locking up hospital records to phishing scams targeting doctors, cyber threats are real. However, Abu Dhabi is fighting back with a blend of strict regulations and smart technology. Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector is intensifying efforts to secure sensitive patient data and strengthening cybersecurity amid these rising threats. The Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cyber Security Standard (ADHICS) and Malaffi, the emirate’s Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform, are central to these efforts. Together, they form a powerful framework that helps combat cyber threats, ensure compliance, and enable secure data sharing. ADHICS compliance and Malaffi integration are together paving the way for a safer and more efficient healthcare ecosystem focusing on encryption, incident response, and legacy system upgrades.
How ADHICS is Building a Cybersecurity Shield
ADHICS, mandated by the Department of Health (DoH), establishes stringent cybersecurity standards for all healthcare entities in Abu Dhabi. This includes hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and insurance providers. ADHICS 2.0 introduces 692 controls across three tiers—Basic, Transitional, and Advanced, with larger hospitals (21+ beds) subject to the most rigorous requirements. These controls align with six pillars: Governance, Resilience, Maturity, Innovation, Capabilities, and Delivery. The framework’s primary goal is to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of health information, especially as phishing, ransomware, and data breaches target the sector.
Priorities Under ADHICS for Strengthening Cybersecurity
1. Encryption and Access Controls
ADHICS mandates advanced encryption protocols, to secure patient data during storage and transmission. Multi-factor authentication is required to restrict access to authorized personnel. This reduces the risk of unauthorized data exposure. For example, healthcare providers must ensure that electronic health records accessed via Malaffi are protected by multi-factor authentication, with role-based permissions limiting sensitive data (e.g., HIV or mental health records) to Level 1 clinicians. Non-compliance risks penalties, including exclusion from Malaffi, which could disrupt care coordination. Adopting of biometric multi-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption are recommended best practices to meet ADHICS standards.
2. Incident Response and Threat Monitoring
To counter sophisticated cyber threats, ADHICS requires healthcare entities to establish robust incident response mechanisms, including real-time threat detection and response. This is essential to monitor for phishing attempts, ransomware, and insider threats, ensuring rapid containment of incidents. For instance, a ransomware attack on a hospital could compromise Malaffi’s data integrity, making proactive monitoring critical.
3. Legacy System Upgrades
A significant challenge for ADHICS compliance is the reliance on outdated legacy systems, which often lack modern security protocols like encryption or secure APIs. These systems are vulnerable to exploits, posing risks to both local EHRs and Malaffi’s centralized database. ADHICS requires healthcare entities to conduct gap assessments and upgrade infrastructure to meet cybersecurity standards. In 2025, providers are investing in cloud-agnostic solutions (while adhering to ADHICS’s prohibition on overseas cloud storage) and secure APIs to integrate legacy systems with Malaffi.
Malaffi’s Role in Strengthening Cybersecurity and Safe Data Exchange
Malaffi, launched by the DoH, connects over 2,700 healthcare facilities, creating a unified platform for sharing patient records across Abu Dhabi. This has become a global benchmark for HIE systems, enabling clinicians to access real-time data for better care coordination. However, its centralized database makes it a prime target for cyberattacks, underscoring the need for seamless integration with ADHICS cybersecurity mandates.
Cybersecurity Features of Malaffi
Role-Based Access
Malaffi employs strict access controls, with “Break the Privacy Seal” privileges reserved for critical cases, ensuring compliance with UAE data privacy laws and ADHICS. This protects sensitive patient information while facilitating authorized data sharing.
Secure Data Transmission
Malaffi uses encrypted channels to transmit data between facilities, aligning with ADHICS requirements. This ensures that patient records remain secure during cross-facility exchanges.
Audit Trails
Malaffi maintains detailed logs of data access and modifications, enabling DoH auditors to verify ADHICS compliance. These logs are critical for identifying breaches or unauthorized access attempts.
Challenges in Strengthening Cybersecurity
Merging ADHICS’s strict rules with Malaffi’s data-sharing platform is a cybersecurity tightrope. Here’s what is making it tricky.
High Costs for Smaller Clinics
ADHICS requirements can be pricey. Security Operations Centers (SOCs) for threat monitoring, multi-factor authentication (MFA) for secure access, and upgrades to old systems lacking encryption- these may represent a considerable financial burden.
Without compliance, clinics face fines or exclusion from Malaffi, cutting them off from patient data and disrupting care. Therefore, smaller providers are turning to Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs). These firms offer affordable gap analyses to fix vulnerabilities, like weak firewalls, but budgets remain tight.
Training Staff to Stay Cyber-Safe
According to a Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, human error causes 74% of data breaches. ADHICS requires staff to spot phishing scams, handle data securely, and use Malaffi’s access controls, like “Break the Privacy Seal” for sensitive records.
However, high staff turnover results in constant retraining, and overworked healthcare workers often prioritize patients over cybersecurity awareness and training, leaving gaps and vulnerabilities. Clinics are therefore using e-learning platforms with modules on phishing and Malaffi protocols. While these are helpful, time constraints and turnover keep systems at risk of human-triggered breaches.
Innovation vs. Strict Security Rules
Malaffi’s AI tools, like patient risk profiling, and pharmacogenomics for tailored treatments, are game-changers. But ADHICS rules prohibit overseas cloud storage, making them hard to scale. On the other hand, local servers, required to keep data in the UAE, are expensive.
AI systems face threats like data poisoning, where hackers tweak data to skew results. ADHICS demands encrypted APIs and penetration testing to protect these tools, adding complexity. Providers are therefore testing hybrid solutions, like on-premises AI with secure Malaffi links. At Abu Dhabi Global Health Week 2025, experts pushed for AI-driven healthcare combined with “cybersecurity-first innovation” to blend progress with protection. However, costs and complexity slow things down.
Impact on Abu Dhabi’s Cybersecurity Landscape
These challenges are not just roadblocks. They’re reshaping how Abu Dhabi secures its healthcare system.
Building Patient Trust
Strong cybersecurity makes patients feel safe. Malaffi’s Sahatna app, secured by multi-factor authentication and ADHICS encrypted channels, lets people access their records confidently. This is significant because, with cyberattacks on the rise, trust enables patients to continue using digital tools, ensuring they benefit from faster, safer care.
Smoother, Safer Care Coordination
Malaffi shares patient data across facilities securely. This eliminates delays and redundant tests, saving money and improving care. Every provider must meet ADHICS’s standards to keep this system secure, making ADHICS-Malaffi alignment a must.
Leading the World in Cybersecurity
Abu Dhabi’s approach to cybersecurity is a model for others. Malaffi’s fast rollout and ADHICS’s tiered controls are being hailed worldwide. By tackling these challenges, Abu Dhabi is setting a global standard for safe and connected healthcare.
Things to Consider
Aligning ADHICS and Malaffi is a cybersecurity marathon. Smaller clinics need DoH subsidies to afford compliance. Training must be creative and engaging to encourage involvement of busy staff. For innovation, standardized local cloud solutions could ease costs while meeting ADHICS rules.
Beyond all this, strengthening cybersecurity through ADHICS compliance and Malaffi integration is a critical requirement in Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector. Encryption, incident response, and legacy system upgrades are the key areas that healthcare entities should focus on, to safeguard patient data against rising cyber threats. Malaffi’s secure data exchange capabilities, supported by ADHICS standards, are driving a new era of digital health innovation. As Abu Dhabi continues to align these initiatives, it is also setting a high global standard for secure, patient-centered healthcare.