A new report from cybersecurity leader Kaspersky has highlighted that data protection is the primary IT security concern for businesses in Pakistan, with 61% of local companies naming it their top priority. This is significantly higher than the global average of 33%, reflecting the heightened awareness of data security risks within the country.
The Kaspersky IT Security Economics Report explores the most pressing IT security challenges faced by businesses around the world, including the rising complexity of technological environments and the growing need to safeguard sensitive data. The report reveals that businesses across the globe are increasingly focused on mitigating productivity losses, securing complex systems, and ensuring data protection as key aspects of their security strategies.
In Pakistan, concerns over data protection are particularly pronounced, with organizations frequently encountering challenges such as the physical loss of devices, data leakage, and vulnerabilities arising from both external and internal threats. These issues are compounded by the rapid growth in cyber risks, which are becoming more sophisticated and difficult to manage.
While data protection remains the dominant concern in Pakistan, the report also points to issues related to business process outsourcing (BPO), which 19% of Pakistani businesses identified as a major security challenge. This is in addition to the global concern over securing increasingly complex technology environments, which 33% of companies worldwide are grappling with. In Pakistan, however, only 9% of businesses highlighted this as a key issue.
The report further underscores the widespread problem of downtime and lost productivity caused by ineffective IT security. Globally, 38% of companies cited this as a major consequence of security breaches, with 20% of businesses in Pakistan reporting similar concerns. These disruptions are largely attributed to the delays in detecting and addressing cyber threats.
Additionally, the report reveals that non-computing connected devices are becoming a growing source of vulnerabilities, adding another layer of complexity to cybersecurity efforts. Misconfigurations in cybersecurity solutions, which leave systems exposed to attacks, were also identified as a significant issue.
Alexey Vovk, Information Security Director at Kaspersky, emphasized the importance of a comprehensive and proactive approach to cybersecurity:
“Organizations need to safeguard all aspects of their operations from potential breaches. Cyber attackers no longer rely solely on zero-day exploits—simple actions like clicking on a malicious link or a vulnerability in a third-party contractor’s infrastructure can have devastating consequences.”
As businesses in Pakistan and across the globe continue to face evolving cyber threats, the report calls for a more integrated and systematic approach to IT security. This year’s survey, which included input from IT and security professionals in 27 countries, offers valuable insights into the ongoing challenges organizations face as they work to protect their digital assets and operations in an increasingly interconnected world.
Source: Kaspersky Report 2024
