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Cyber Gaps Expose Businesses To AI-Driven Threats, Study Shows
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshapes the cybersecurity landscape, organisations worldwide face escalating challenges when protecting against sophisticated AI-powered attacks.
Despite understanding the severity of the threat, businesses are struggling to keep pace with the rapid evolution of cybercrime. Barriers such as skill shortages, lack of AI-powered tools, and the complexity of managing advanced cybersecurity infrastructures leave many organisations vulnerable.
In its latest study titled “Cyber defense & AI: Are you ready to protect your organisation?”, Kaspersky gathered insights from IT and Information Security professionals across SMEs and large enterprises. The research reveals a growing sense of urgency among businesses to prepare for AI-driven cyber threats, with 19 percent of respondents globally and 23 percent in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region stating they have considerable gaps in their cyber protection. The study also explores barriers to achieving effective cybersecurity and the dire consequences of failing to adapt.
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Despite understanding the risks, businesses face significant obstacles in building robust cybersecurity. According to the study, 44 percent of organisations globally and 50 percent in the META region cite the lack of AI-related cybersecurity training for employees as a critical issue.
Another 44 percent globally and 48 percent in META point to the complexity of managing cybersecurity infrastructure, which makes it harder to stay ahead of attackers. The shortage of advanced tools is another key challenge. Nearly 43 percent of respondents globally and 46 percent in META admitted that their organisations lack modern AI-powered cybersecurity solutions, while 41 percent globally and 44 percent in META struggle with lack of information from external experts about the evolving AI-related threat landscape. Additionally, 39 percent globally and 37 percent in META experience the scarcity of qualified InfoSec professionals, leaving the businesses vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated threats.
The consequences of failing to adapt are severe and wide-ranging. More than half of surveyed professionals (58 percent globally and 59 percent in META) fear unpreparedness could result in confidential data leaks, while 52 percent globally anticipate a loss of customer trust (55 percent in META) and significant financial losses (54 percent in META), including stock value drops and loss of business opportunities. Reputational damage is a concern for 47 percent of respondents globally (54 percent in META), who worry about the long-term fallout from a cyberattack. Other potential consequences include financial penalties (33 percent globally and 44 percent in META), investor withdrawal (31 percent globally and 38 percent in META), lawsuits (29 percent globally and 36 percent in META), and even partial business closures (23 percent globally and 20 percent in META).
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“The rise of AI-driven cyberattacks marks a turning point in the cybersecurity landscape. Organisations must act now to fortify their defenses. This includes investing in AI-powered tools, training employees to recognise threats related to AI, development and implementation of cybersecurity controls for products and services with AI. Failure to adapt could lead to significant financial, operational, and reputational damage. Preparedness is not just an option – it’s a necessity in this new era of cyber threats,” said Alexey Vovk, Information Security Director at Kaspersky.
Recommendations
To protect the business against AI-enabled cyberthreats, Kaspersky recommends organisations to ensure that every level of their IT network is protected with solid, multi-layered protective solutions. By leveraging the best cybersecurity expertise, you can detect and contain complex, focused attacks which increase in sophistication as AI tools help attackers to launch more precise targeted attacks.
Kaspersky further recommends turning your office workforce into an extra layer of defense with products that instill cybersafe behaviour. The cybersecurity services provider also urges organisations to initiate discussions about AI-related topics in cybersecurity.