About 71 per cent of participants in a survey in Bahrain believe that the region is a prime target for cyber criminals, said a research report.

The research conducted by Gulf Business Machines (GBM), a leading IT solutions provider in the region, revealed that 33 per cent of incidents are staff related, which can be avoided by increasing employee awareness.

Cyber security risks are also potentially increasing with social media becoming more available within companies, it said.
 
The results of the survey also highlighted that 27 per cent of respondents said their companies have not been conducting regular proactive screenings to ensure that their IT infrastructure and critical data are protected.

Respondents are expressing a false sense of security as the survey shows that 61 per cent of respondents believe that the number of successful attacks will decrease in the next 12 months, said the report.

“Despite the fact that companies are becoming more aware of IT security issues, they are still not taking enough action against potential cyber attacks,” said Abdulla Ishaq, country general manager, Bahrain Business Machines (BBM), GBM’s Bahrain branch.

“A third of the companies polled spent up to 10 per cent of their IT budget on security. We are expecting to see this number increase in the future.”

A similar GBM survey conducted last year showed that just over a third of those polled claimed that their companies’ IT policies completely prohibited access to social networking websites. This number has been cut in half, indicating that more businesses are adopting and embracing social media.

“With the rise of social media use in business environments, companies are now more prone to cyber attacks,” said Ishaq.

The research coincides with the launch of GBM’s Security Framework, which assists users with mitigating risks. - TradeArabia News Service