Mobile security incidents occurring at an even higher rate
Dubai, UAE - Nearly 50 percent of organisations have been plagued by at least one security breach or incident in the past year, with almost all of these categorized as serious, according to a new report released today by CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the technology industry.
The International Trends in Cybersecurity Report from CompTIA also reveals that in addition to paying careful attention to and responding to threats, organisations are altering their security practices and policies as a result of their increasing reliance on cloud computing and mobile technology solutions.
More than 1,500 business and technology executives in 12 different countries were interviewed for the CompTIA survey. The report includes data from the UAE, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
"The importance of cybersecurity knowledge and readiness continues to grow regardless of geography," said Mark Plunkett, regional director of Europe, Middle East and emerging markets at CompTIA. "Our survey indicated 79 percent of companies in the UAE expect cybersecurity to become a higher priority over the next two years."
Across all countries surveyed, 73 percent of organizations said they've experienced at least one security breach or incident in the past 12 months. Reported security breaches were most prevalent in India (94 percent) and Malaysia (89 percent). With almost half of organisations reporting a breach, the UAE rates relatively low compared to its counterparts across the globe.
The percentage of mobile-related security incidents, such as lost devices, mobile malware and phishing attacks or staff disabling security features was fairly high, with 60 percent of UAE firms reporting such an incident.
In the UAE, changes in IT operations, whether greater reliance on mobile technology, the use of cloud-based solutions or some other factor, were listed as the top driver for altering approaches to cybersecurity.
80 percent of firms in the region say they use some type of training to assess or improve cybersecurity knowledge among their employees. This includes practices such as new employee orientation, ongoing training programs, online courses and random security audits.
Nearly all managers believe it is important to test after cybersecurity training to confirm knowledge gains (96 per cent). Eight in ten indicate that professional certifications for IT workers are valuable or very valuable as a way to validate cybersecurity-related knowledge and skills.
International Trends in Cybersecurity is based on an online survey of 1,509 business and technology executives conducted in January and February 2016. Companies surveyed self-reported their experience with security breaches and incidents.
The complete report is available free of charge with a simple registration. To download the report visithttps://www.comptia.org/resources/international-trends-in-cybersecurity.
About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a non-profit trade association serving as the voice of the information technology industry. With approximately 2,000 member companies, 3,000 academic and training partners, 75,000 registered users and more than two million IT certifications issued, CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications and public policy advocacy. To learn more, visit CompTIA online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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marion@houseofcomms.com
© Press Release 2016
