Kaspersky warns of increased cyber risks in UAE as businesses embrace digitisation, urging companies to adopt robust cybersecurity measures and enhance employee digital literacy.
According to a recent Kaspersky Business Digitisation survey, 86% of companies in the UAE feature a high level of digitisation. This simplifies work processes and makes business more efficient. However, significant challenges accompany this, including increased cybersecurity risks: more than half (63%) of the respondents from the UAE indicated their company had experienced a cybersecurity incident in the last 24 months.
The level of digitisation was calculated using the Kaspersky Business Digitisation Index. The Index considers 12 components, including the use of digital document workflow by an organisation, provision of IT training for employees, automation of work processes, digital communication with clients, and others.
Specifically, 72% of local respondents in the business digitisation survey indicated they could practice remote work in their organisations, 89% use digital communication with clients, and 72% try to automate work processes. 80% said they had employee training on using digital devices and services over the last year. All of these factors contribute to increasing a company’s business digitisation level.
At the same time, however, with business processes becoming increasingly digital, UAE business representatives highlighted several challenges. 8% of local respondents admitted that they require more cybersecurity training. 89% of respondents felt that cyber espionage might occur within their industry, which could result in financial and intellectual property losses and damage to the brand reputation. The same survey also found that 81% of employees need better digital skills with computers and other digital equipment. A digital skills shortage could also result in significant cybersecurity risks for an organisation.
“With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation, digital literacy of employees must become a priority. For example, the rise of deepfakes can cause significant problems for companies if employees cannot effectively identify them,” says Emad Haffar, Head of technical Experts, META at Kaspersky.
“As businesses continue to embrace digital transformation, the importance of integrated cybersecurity measures cannot be overstated. At Kaspersky, we remain committed to empowering companies with advanced security solutions and intelligence to navigate the complex cyber landscape effectively. We aim to ensure that businesses can leverage the full potential of digitisation while safeguarding their critical assets and maintaining the trust of their customers,” he added.
To best protect digitised processes within organisations, Kaspersky experts recommend:
- Use solutions like Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert and Kaspersky Managed Detection and Response service, which help identify and stop the attack early before attackers reach their final goals.
- To protect the corporate environment, educate your employees. Dedicated training courses, such as the ones provided by the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform, can help.
- Use a reliable endpoint security solution, such as Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business, powered by exploit prevention, behaviour detection and a remediation engine that can roll back malicious actions. KESB also has self-defence mechanisms which can prevent its removal by cybercriminals.
- Use the latest Threat Intelligence information to stay aware of actual TTPs threat actors use. The Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Portal is a single access point for Kaspersky’s TI, providing cyberattack data and insights gathered by our team for over 26 years.
