Press Releases

Nearly 10 million devices fell victim to data-stealing malware in 2023, Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence has revealed, drawing from insights gathered from infostealer malware log files traded on underground markets. With cybercriminals pilfering an average of 50.9 login credentials per infected device, the threat posed by data-stealers is growing for both consumers and businesses. In light of this growing threat, Kaspersky has launched a dedicated web page to raise awareness of the issue and provide strategies for mitigating associated risks.

Over 70% of businesses pay more than USD $100,000 for additional training annually to keep skills of their cybersecurity employees up to date, a recent global Kaspersky study has revealed. However, the surveyed companies also highlighted that there was a lack of relevant courses covering new challenging spheres in the educational market and stated that training does not always bring them the expected result.

Amid acute shortages of cybersecurity professionals, acting information security (InfoSec) experts are questioning the relevance of the formal education they received, Kaspersky’s new global research shows. The survey revealed that one in two cybersecurity professionals were not able to confirm the usefulness of their academic training when it came to helping them in their current role. As a result, these experts have to invest their resources in further training to tackle the ever-evolving threat landscape and keep up with industry developments.

With human error causing nearly two-thirds of all cyber incidents in the past two years, more than 50% of acting cybersecurity professionals admit they made mistakes early in their career due to a lack of theoretical or practical knowledge, a new global study commissioned by Kaspersky has found¹. The percentage of respondents acknowledging such mistakes increases to nearly 60% among those with two to five years’ experience in the field. In the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region 43% of all respondents admit making such mistakes.

A Kaspersky survey has found that 48% of companies globally require upwards of 6-months to find and appoint a qualified cybersecurity professional. In the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa (META) region, 46% of organisations gave the same feedback. A lack of proven experience was cited as one of the biggest challenges, along with the high cost of hiring and global competition in talent acquisition.

A recent Kaspersky study has revealed that more than 50% of companies surveyed have implemented Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) in their businesses’ infrastructures. Additionally, 33% are planning to adopt these interconnected technologies within two years. In the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, 55% of respondents have implemented AI and 34% are planning to do so, while IoT are used in 44% of organisations with 45% planning to use them. Business owners must ensure they have the right caliber of cybersecurity solutions to secure them, experts recommend.

According to the findings from a recent Kaspersky study¹ revealed at the recent Kaspersky Cyber Security Weekend, 41% of companies worldwide are facing a shortfall of qualified cybersecurity professionals. This problem is even more sensitive for the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa (META) region, with 43% of companies understaffed. Most understaffing can be found among Malware analysts and Information security researchers.

As discussed during the recent Kaspersky Cyber Security Weekend – META 2024, cyberthreats for endpoints – any computers, be it laptops or desktops – remained persistent in 2023. There was a total of 72.7 mln threats blocked by Kaspersky endpoint solutions in the Middle East throughout 2023; for Africa, the figure stands at 36.7 mln, and for Turkiye – at 9.4 mln. The share of users who could have potentially been affected by these attacks¹ sits at 41% for the Middle East, 44% for the African region, and 38% for Turkiye. While effective endpoint protection solutions are important, it is possible to minimise the risk of cyberthreats to endpoints by substituting laptops and desktops (thick clients) with thin clients running a Cyber Immune operating system.

At the recent Cyber Security Weekend – META, Kaspersky released new data on mobile cyberthreat dynamics in countries of the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa (META) region. As users increasingly rely on their mobile devices to share personal data and connect to corporate networks, the number of mobile threat detects in the META region increased by 22% in 2023 compared to 2022. Specifically, for the Middle East the increase in mobile threats amounted to 40%, for Turkiye – as much as 120%, and for Africa – 10%. All these threats were blocked by Kaspersky mobile solutions.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices include wearables, smart home appliances, smart city systems, self-driving cars, automated retail checkouts, and other smart devices for home and business use. Cybercriminals infect smart devices to conduct attacks or as a proxy for other types of malicious actions. In 2023 IoT devices in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa region were responsible for over 8 million outgoing attacks that were spotted on Kaspersky honeypots¹. To make smart devices around the world more protected, Kaspersky at its Cyber Security Weekend – META event announced plans for signing a strategic partnership agreement with Favoriot, a regional innovator in IoT platforms.