Kaspersky highlights cybersecurity risks amidst rapid digitisation in companies in Middle East, Turkiye, Africa region

26 November 2023

According to a recent Kaspersky Business Digitisation survey¹, 75% of companies in the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa (META) region feature a high level of digitisation. This simplifies work processes and makes business more efficient. However, there are significant challenges that accompany this, including increased cybersecurity risks: almost half (46%) of the respondents from META indicated their company has experienced a cybersecurity incident in the last 24 months.

The level of digitisation was calculated using Kaspersky Business Digitisation Index². The Index takes into account 12 components, including the use of digital document workflow by an organisation, provision of IT trainings for employees, automation of work processes, digital communication with clients, and others. 

Specifically, 65% of local respondents in the business digitisation survey indicated they could practice remote work in their organisations, 80% use digital means of communication with clients and 66% try to automate work processes. 69% stated that they had employee trainings on using digital devices and services over the last year. All of these factors contribute to increasing the level of business digitisation in a company. 

At the same time however, with business processes becoming more and more digital, business representatives in META highlighted several challenges. 25% of local respondents admitted that they require more cybersecurity training. 76% of respondents felt that there might be cyberespionage taking place within their industry which could result in financial and intellectual property losses, as well as damage to the brand reputation. The same survey also found that 66% of employees feel the need for better digital skills in their work 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 are unable to 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. Our aim is 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 to identify and stop the attack on early stages, before attackers reach their final goals.
• To protect the corporate environment, educate your employees. Dedicated training courses can help, such as the ones provided in the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform.
• Use a reliable endpoint security solution, such as Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business that is powered by exploit prevention, behavior detection and a remediation engine that is able to roll back malicious actions. KESB also has self-defense mechanisms which can prevent its removal by cybercriminals.
• Use the latest Threat Intelligence information to stay aware of actual TTPs used by threat actors. The Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Portal is a single point of access for Kaspersky’s TI, providing cyberattack data and insights gathered by our team for over 26 years.