Christophe Salomon, Executive Vice President for Secure Communications and information Systems at Thales, underscores evolving cyber threats. Thales harnesses AI, post-quantum cryptography, and secure communications to enhance resilience, protect infrastructure, and uphold digital sovereignty.
How has the cybersecurity threat landscape evolved in recent years, and what new challenges do organisations face in securing their critical defence systems?
The cybersecurity threat landscape is increasingly complex. Several factors contribute to this. One such driver is the increased interdependency within supply chains, which introduces vulnerabilities.
Another factor is tackling security effectively in the context of artificial intelligence. Between the growth of AI-driven cybersecurity risks and the rapid implementation of AI to ensure cyber resilience, the landscape is becoming ever more complex.
Third, is the unprecedented sophistication of cyber-attacks enabled by emerging technologies. These are driven by malicious actors using advanced tech to engineer scams, generate disinformation, and execute ransomware at a pace previously unimaginable.
Fourth, cybersecurity regulations, while needed, have introduced significant compliance challenges.
Lastly, there is the cybersecurity workforce gap. Since 2024, the industry’s skills gap has risen by 8%, with two in three organisations lacking skilled talent to meet security requirements.
These challenges point to the need for a shift in perspective that focuses on bolstering cybersecurity and enhancing cyber resilience.
With AI-driven cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, how is Thales leveraging artificial intelligence and automation to enhance cybersecurity defence?
AI-driven cyberattacks are becoming more scalable by the day. What once required specialised expertise can now be achieved by everyday actors using AI tools. But AI can also be leveraged to do the exact opposite: achieve secure threat detection.
This is an area where Thales has a unique and critical role to play – securing AI for critical systems, or what we call ensuring “Trusted AI”. More and more systems, especially in the area of defence for example, will rely on data generated by AI. The availability and integrity of these data will be crucial in the field of operations. We are working in Thales to ensure that data produced by AI in our systems and solutions is reliable and can be trusted, and that these are robustly secured.
Thales plays a key role in protecting critical infrastructure, including defence. What are the key strategies to ensure resilience against cyber threats in this sectors?
One of the most important elements is empowering talent with advanced skills. For instance, at Thales, we provide specialised training programmes to equip UAE defence personnel with cyber skills. Our efforts align with the country’s National Defence Strategy priority to protect critical infrastructure and mitigate threats in an increasingly complex security environment.
Developing secure digital communications and systems is also key to building cyber resilience. At every stage of digital transformation, especially for sectors such as finance, we must embed trusted cybersecurity. Strengthening collaboration also plays a key role here. We partner with organisations to develop workforces equipped to safeguard national digital ecosystems.
To stay ahead of emerging threats, we must continue driving cyber innovation. For instance, by leveraging cutting-edge AI and post-quantum cryptography, Thales empowers organisations across the Middle East to stay ahead of any and every cyber threat regardless of its nature.
How is Thales integrating cybersecurity with other security domains, such as physical security, communications security, and threat intelligence, to offer a holistic security solution?
Thales is focused on delivering end-to-end solutions that combine cross-domain expertise. For example, by combining surveillance systems with cybersecurity measures, organisations can gain real-time insights into potential threats that may involve both physical breaching and digital attacks. Furthermore, by aligning incident response strategies across different security domains, Thales enables organisations to handle security incidents more effectively. A coordinated response that considers both physical and cyber elements can minimise damage and recovery times.
Finally, in this area, threat intelligence is mandatory in enhancing security. By integrating threat intelligence with cybersecurity solutions, Thales enables organisations to anticipate potential threats and respond proactively, thereby improving resilience across all security domains.
With the rise of quantum computing, how is Thales preparing its cybersecurity solutions to withstand future threats posed by quantum decryption?
Post-quantum cryptography is one of the emerging threats that governments and industry will have to face in the coming years. Datasets protected by today’s cryptographic algorithms will be vulnerable in a post-quantum world. We must act now.
That’s why Thales’ products include post-quantum algorithms, in particular, Falcon, which was co-developed by Thales and certified by NIST. We are also working on quantum key distribution, through the Nostradamus project of French electricity producer and distributor, EDF.
Finally, we know that the impact of quantum computing can be complex to assess, so last year we decided to launch a post-quantum cryptography starter kit, in partnership with Quantinuum. This will enable companies to test and measure their ability to face a post-quantum world.
Many governments are underlining the importance of digital sovereignty. How is Thales supporting national and regional efforts to enhance cybersecurity independence and data protection?
Thales has played a key role for a number of years in enabling countries to control their digital sovereignty. There are many ways of achieving this.
Most importantly, Thales advises that data should be located in secure data centres within national boundaries. This helps ensure that sensitive governmental and commercial data remains under local jurisdiction.
Thales offers, develops and provides trusted cybersecurity solutions, certified by national security agencies and international bodies. Some of these solutions follow a multi-sovereign strategy. That means that we are able to adapt existing solutions to meet specific needs – for example, to implement a sovereign algorithm. In doing so, we change generic products into tailor-made solutions that meet a country’s sovereign requirements.
This multi-sovereign strategy helps nations and regions to build resilient cybersecurity infrastructure that enhances data protection and fosters digital independence.
As secure communications become increasingly critical in national security and defence, how does Thales ensure end-to-end protection against cyber espionage and interception threats?
Thales provides state-of-the-art encryption technologies for both data at rest and data in transit. As we already mentioned, advanced encryption standards, especially post-quantum, are used to safeguard communications channels against interception.
In addition, our secure communications solutions, designed for military and governmental use, incorporate features such as anti-jamming and frequency-hopping to reduce vulnerability to interception and disruption.
Finally, we employ advanced threat detection and monitoring systems to identify potential cyber threats in real-time. By continuously assessing the security status of communications networks, Thales can respond rapidly to any signs of attempts at espionage or interception.
There is a growing shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. How is Thales contributing to workforce development and talent retention in this field?
Thales is committed to addressing the global cybersecurity talent shortage by investing in workforce development and retention across the Middle East, including countries like the UAE.
Leveraging a global team of 6,000 cybersecurity experts, we train and upskill local talent, empowering them with the skills needed to protect national digital ecosystems. Through strategic collaborations with governments and enterprises, we help build cyber-resilient workforces capable of tackling evolving threats.
Thales also drives innovation in cybersecurity education. We have designed training programmes and innovation hubs that align with national security priorities and technological advancements, ensuring that the next generation of cyber professionals is prepared for the future.