The world is experiencing a new age – the age of connected devices, but along with their obvious benefits, phones, watches, wristbands and even connected cars, are pose a risk to security. New survey reveals IT security and cloud weaknesses have increased significantly in the GCC, one of the most connected regions in the world.
While until several years ago, laptops, tablets and smartphones were the only connected to the virtual world of Internet, today, there is a wide range of personal smart and connected devices. From watches and wristbands that track your everyday running routine and calories burnt, to the current French Open No.1, Rafael Nadal’s smart tennis racquet or connected kitchen appliances, for instance, the Internet of Things is spreading rapidly around the world. The GCC is no exception – a new survey found that while in 2012, 10 percent of respondents owned 5 or more personal (connected devices), in 2014, this percentage jumps to 26. All these devices collect and transmit data constantly, and once you put something online, you can never know how many times it has been copied, and how exactly it has been used.
Researchers at Gulf Business Machines, local provider of IT business solutions and services, polled more than 1000 IT professionals in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. They found that 70 percent of IT workers use at least three connected devices. Half of all respondents in the survey admit they are allowed to use their personal connected devices at work. And this appears to be one of the major problems. Around 58 percent of security incidents, be it breaches, leaks, or something else, were caused by company staff. In addition, most of the people in the study said they don’t face any restrictions when it comes to their social media access at work. It is very concerning, because generally, people tend to post detailed personal information on their social media profiles.
In fact, confidential data can be easily accessed by malware, viruses and hackers from various platforms, including Google, Dropbox, or Evernote. Facebook, LinkedIn or even your e-mail can also be hacked, so users need to be extremely careful when sharing sensitive information on social platforms and in the cloud as well. According to the study, 60 percent of the IT professionals in the UAE believe that the Middle East is a “prime target” for cyber crime. There are two major reasons for this – the increased use of personal smart electronics and of connected devices, and the insufficient investment in IT security. Around 63 percent of UAE companies invest only 15 percent of their entire IT budget in security (software and services).
Of course, when it comes to IT security, it’s no longer all about data safety. With the surge of connected devices – watches, cars, or even toilets, any security breach becomes a very real problem, which further confirms the need for better IT investing.
