Corporate News

Throughout 2022, almost 38% of industrial control system (ICS) computers globally have been attacked with malware. In the Middle East, the figure sits at just over 42%, according to Kaspersky ICS CERT1 statistics. This is a high growth threat landscape that no public or private sector entity, especially in critical sectors like energy and mining, can ignore.

A Kaspersky study has revealed that every third C-level executive (34%) struggles to speak about adopting new security solutions with their IT or IT security colleagues. The latter however, feel increasing the budget for cyber security is the toughest topic to discuss with non-IT management.

AI use is on the rise, which poses a risk to the existence of many jobs across regions. Recently the ChatGPT bot was made available to the public – it can maintain a coherent conversation, explain complex scientific concepts, artistically translate texts between languages, and much more. Other types of robots have been among people for years, washing cars, delivering orders, sorting goods in warehouses, delivering pills to patients, and doing assembly works at plants. According to Kaspersky research1, there are concerns among employees in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa region in regards to robots and automation systems used by companies. More than half (55%) are afraid of losing their job to robots, and every fifth employee 22% reported they heard of cybersecurity incidents with robots or automated systems in their company. At the same time, many employees see the positive aspects that robotization brings to them.

Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day, and for many, it inspires to look for a special someone. However, as online dating popularity continues to grow so do the threats from cybercriminals looking to exploit vulnerable individuals. In 2022, there were over 366 million online dating service users. By 2027, it is estimated that there will be 440 million people seeking love through online platforms.– this is despite past research by Kaspersky which found that 37% of people surveyed in the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa region worry about being scammed on dating apps. In the spirit of love and sharing, Kaspersky is spotlighting its top five online dating threats to watch out for this Valentine’s Day – and its experts’ tips for staying safe when dating online.

Kaspersky explored user trends in cryptocurrency and found out that over half of (55%) cryptocurrency users fear losing money due to volatility, and no longer use digital currencies, according to latest Kaspersky research. Additionally, 16% of respondents have already lost money and stopped investing as a result.

Robotics are used together with industrial control systems for production, replacing manual labor and improving business efficiency. However, according to Kaspersky research1, the majority of employees in manufacturing companies in the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa region – 76% – believe that because of possible cyberattacks on robots, there are significant risks. For instance, 57% of employees think that in case of a cyberattack, production processes run by robots can be disrupted and stalled for several weeks or even longer.

More than half of top-tier managers in the UAE and KSA (67%) admit that a miscommunication with the IT department or IT security team has resulted in at least one cybersecurity incident in their organizations. In terms of personal attitudes, the majority of non-IT executives cited a diminished sense of cooperation between different teams (37%) and said it situation makes them question their colleagues’ skills and abilities when communication with their IT-security employees was unclear (42%).

The latest Kaspersky report reveals 24% of companies with 50 to 999 employees are ready to use pirated alternatives of business software to decrease IT spending. Among small businesses (less than 50 employees), only 8% are ready to take this step. This measure can seriously affect corporate cyber safety, since adversaries actively distribute malicious files under the guise of most used software.

In the first half of 2022 in the Middle East, computers in the industrial control systems (ICS) environment were attacked using multiple means. Malicious objects were blocked on every third (36%) ICS computer in the region that was protected by Kaspersky solutions, according to the ICS threat landscape report by Kaspersky ICS CERT. Phishing pages were blocked on 15% of ICS computers in the region, and spyware – on 11% of computers.

According to Kaspersky’s Financial Cyberthreats report, attacks are becoming increasingly corporate rather than consumer focused. As it’s seen from Kaspersky Security Network, financial threat detections targeting businesses were growing in the Middle East in Q2 2022. Financial phishing aimed at organizations also stay high.