Trend Micro survey forewarns MENA enterprises of customer record breach in 2022

According to Trend Micro’s biannual Cyber Danger Index (CRI) study, the risk of cyber-attacks has risen in the previous year. The survey revealed that 80 per cent of global organisations report they are likely to experience a data breach that impacts customer data in the next 12 months. The survey forewarns organisations in the MENA region to re-evaluate and re-instate their cybersecurity stance to combat advanced threats.

The research calculates the difference between respondents’ cybersecurity readiness and their risk of being attacked. The CRI polled more than 3,600 firms of all sizes and industries from across the world in the first half of 2021. The CRI is calculated on a scale of -10 to 10, with -10 indicating the highest amount of risk. The current worldwide score is -0.42, which is somewhat higher than last year and signals a “elevated” risk.

Key findings from the report stated that amongst the respondents, 86 per cent said it was very likely that they did suffer serious cyber-attacks in the next 12 months, compared to 83 per cent last time. Also, 24 per cent suffered, over seven cyber-attacks that infiltrated networks/systems, versus 23 per cent in the previous report. And 21 per cent had over seven breaches of information assets, versus 19 per cent in the previous report. 20 per cent of respondents said they did suffered more than seven breaches of customer data over the past year, up from 17 per cent in the last report.

“It is our prime responsibility to spread maximum awareness and safeguard the enterprise fraternity in the MENA region from lurking cyber risks,” said Dr Moataz Bin Ali, VP and managing director, Trend Micro Middle East and North Africa. “The Trend Micro’s CRI gives us an insight toward battling those very risks that plague the region’s businesses. The challenges for an organization’s infrastructure and data protection are a persistent matter that needs to be faced with an equally unrelenting, multi-layered protection. Fully utilising this resource will empower the region’s organisations to prioritise a smarter security strategy, safeguard their data, and be thoroughly prepared by detecting and defending what matters most.”

The report finds that organisations have ranked the top three negative consequences of an attack as customer churn, lost IP, and critical infrastructure damage/disruption. The report further highlights top cyber risks that include man-in-the-middle attacks; ransomware; phishing and social engineering; fileless attack; and botnets.

The top security risks to infrastructure remain the same as last year and include organisational misalignment and complexity, as well as cloud computing infrastructure and providers. In addition, respondents identified customer turnover, lost intellectual property and disruption or damages to critical infrastructure as key operational risks for organisations globally.

The main challenges for cybersecurity preparedness include limitations for security leaders who lack the authority and resources to achieve a strong security posture, as well as organisations struggling to enable security technologies that are sufficient to protect their data assets and IT infrastructure.

Recently, Trend Micro through its association with TXOne Networks collaborated with Oregon systems for the distribution of its operational technology (OT) security solutions in the Middle East region.

Read: Trend Micro partners with Oregon systems to distribute OT security in the region

“We understand the security needs of the region, and by leveraging the network base of Oregon – together we are at a vantage point to provide enterprises across key industries with OT security solutions so that they can continue to thrive in a secured environment, and are not disadvantaged by any security lapses in the future,” said Mohamed Mrad, Channel Director MENA, Trend Micro.