As many as 7% suffered critical data leakages in KSA

KSA, Riyadh, 12 March 2014: Vulnerabilities in software regularly used by employees at work are the leading cause of internal cyber-security incidents in business. This was one of the conclusions drawn by the Global Corporate IT Security Risks 2013 survey, a study conducted by B2B International in collaboration with Kaspersky Lab this spring.

Vulnerabilities in legitimate software programs are a major source of corporate computer infections and critical data leakage. Approximately 39% of the survey participants in KSA said that over the past 12 months, this had been the case at least once for their organizations.

While the number of such incidents has risen substantially since 2011 - from 27% to 39%, approximately 98% of companies in KSA have reported internal IT security incidents, and software vulnerabilities were the single biggest cause.

The highest percentage of incidents was noted in Russia, where 51% of survey respondents were affected. 43% of companies based in Asia-Pacific encountered these issues, as did 38% of companies in North America. Japanese companies had the lowest frequency of vulnerability-related security problems at just 29%.

At the same time, 34% of survey participants in KSA suffered data leakages involving company business and caused by vulnerabilities in corporate software, while 7% of companies in KSA reported leakages of critical corporate data leading to financial losses.

Vulnerabilities are ultimately the responsibility of developers, rather than companies using the software. But regardless of who is to blame, without extra protection, the company's IT infrastructure will remain vulnerable until software developers release updates to patch these vulnerabilities.

That's why using a security solution with advanced technologies facilitating the detection and interception of attacks launched via software vulnerabilities is critical for any company. An advanced security solution will also help prioritize the update of software programs once vulnerabilities have been detected.

These advanced technologies, which offer top-of-the-line protection against malware and other cyber threats, are built into Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business, the professional security platform from Kaspersky Lab. Automatic Exploit Prevention detects and blocks attempts to exploit vulnerabilities found in commonly used applications, while Systems Management component effectively manages company workstations, and allows company IT professionals to centrally install security updates for the applications running on company computers.

Kaspersky Lab's solution delivers high-level security and protection for corporate IT infrastructures, even when the developers of popular software programs are not always quick to deliver updates for their own products -- and can inadvertently introduce new vulnerabilities along with these updates.

To read more about Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business go to me.kaspersky.com/business-security

About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is the world's largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world's top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its more than 16-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for large enterprises, SMBs and consumers. Kaspersky Lab, with its holding company registered in the United Kingdom, currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

* The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2012. The rating was published in the IDC report "Worldwide Endpoint Security 2013-2017 Forecast and 2012 Vendor Shares (IDC #242618, August 2013). The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2012.

© Press Release 2014