A new study has found that seven out of ten IT experts in Kuwait believe the region is a ‘prime target’ for cyber-criminals.
Research conducted by Gulf Business Machines (GBM) found that 71 per cent of the IT experts questioned thought cyber-criminals could target the country.
Some 42 per cent of respondents from Kuwait organisations admitted they had experienced a security incident in the last 12 months, with 27 per cent of incidents staff-related. Cyber security risks within organisations have escalated with the increased use of social media by staff.
The study highlighted a lack of IT security assessments, with 32 per cent of respondents stating their organisations do not regularly screen their IT infrastructure to keep it protected from cyber-criminals.
Piero Corsini, country general manager at Khorafi Business Machines, GBM’s Kuwait branch, said: “Businesses are becoming more aware of the importance of technology as well as the value it brings. However, organisations still need to become more pro-active in taking pre-emptive measures against possible cyber threats.
“Nearly half of the organisations polled spend up to 10 per cent of their IT budget on security. However, we are expecting that this number will increase in the future.”
Corsini added that companies in the region have “slightly loosened their social networking restrictions” and, as a result, need to be more active in preparing for the increased risk in cyber-security attacks.
The latest research followed a similar study in Bahrain, which found that more than half of respondents from Bahrain companies had experienced a cyber-security incident in the last 12 months.
