Forcepoint survey finds Middle East companies do not use behavioural analytics to stop breaches

Wednesday 03 July 2019
Mahmoud  Samy, Forcepoint’s Area Vice President for the Emerging Region
Dubai - MENA Herald:

Research from global cybersecurity leader Forcepoint found organizations are not using behavioural analytics to identify and prevent cyber attacks even though they believe this is a crucial step to effectively stop breaches. Released today, the research represents the responses of IT and security leaders across the Middle East to better understand their thoughts on the biggest cyber security risks and how to prevent the most damaging breaches. 

The data revealed that over half (54 per cent) said they are not currently using behaviour analytics to stop data exfiltration, despite the fact that vast majority (85 per cent) agree that behaviour analytics is a critical component of their cyber security strategies.

 “The data from our survey demonstrates how Forcepoint’s human-centric approach to cybersecurity is so critical to organizations today. We believe that behavioural analytics is vital in stopping cyber threats and we need to do more to ensure organizations are fully equipped,” said Mahmoud  Samy, Forcepoint’s Area Vice President for the Emerging Region. “In today’s evolving cybersecurity landscape, Forcepoint’s solutions offer true risk-adaptive protection which understands people and their behaviour.”

Interestingly, 75 per cent of those surveyed said they are always able to recognize when an identity has been compromised on the network (45 per cent agreed somewhat and 30 per cent agreed strongly). This is contrasting recently released data from Verizon1, which says the majority of organizations are taking months at a time to identify breaches.

Further on the topic of trust and risks, Forcepoint’s survey found:

  • Over 40 per cent identified digital transformation as a crucial cyber security threat in the coming year, with 44 per cent indicating moving to the cloud was a key concern
  • When asked about the most important security issues in the coming year, 48 per cent said evolving attack methods while 44 per cent said security of moving to the cloud.
  • 69 per cent of respondents agree that they have complete trust in their colleagues to adhere to IT security policies
  • Half of the respondents believed human error, or users’ mistakes, would be the most damaging to organizational trust
  • This is contrasting to only 43 per cent who said malicious users, or intentional harm, would be the most damaging to trust
  • A mere 15 per cent of respondents indicated that GDPR and other regulations were the important issues for the year ahead

“It’s no surprise to us the digital transformation – especially as it relates to moving to the cloud – is still a work in progress for many of our clients when it comes to cybersecurity. This has and will continue to be a key focus area for us as we work to counsel organizations,” said Samy.

To underscore its commitment to a human-centric and risk-adaptive approach to cyber security, Forcepoint recently launched its X-Labs division, the world’s first dedicated research division that combines deep security expertise with behavioral science research. The new X-Labs team will use data insights from the entire Forcepoint product portfolio to drive innovation in modern, risk-adaptive security solutions.

Search form