Cyber breaches and insider threats, including malicious insiders stealing, manipulating or destroying data, are the fastest-growing risks and are driving investment in Forensic Data Analytics (FDA), a report said.

Sixty-nine percent of Mena executives say that they need to do more to improve their current anti-fraud procedures, including the use of FDA tools, added the report entitled “Global Forensic Data Analytics Survey, Shifting into high gear: mitigating risks and demonstrating returns” from EY, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.

Notably, this figure increased to 74 per cent for the C-suite cohort. Of those respondents citing regulatory pressure as the reason to improve their procedures, C-suite respondents were found to be the most concerned as regulatory enforcement becomes more rigorous and widespread.

Mike Adlem, Mena Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services leader, EY, said: “Cybercrime and insider threats are an everyday reality, posing a dynamic and relentless challenge. In Mena, 40 per cent of businesses consider this risk to have increased, however globally more than 60 per cent of businesses say the risk has increased.”

“This may be due to lower awareness in Mena as well as increasing regulatory pressures being applied in other regions. Businesses in Mena need to continue to raise risk awareness with management and prepare for the expected increased regulatory pressures that will be applied in the future. The use of FDA should form a critical component of risk management and compliance programs and be applied in both a proactive and reactive manner.”

When looking at the current use of FDA tools to investigate incidents or manage risk, the survey found that internal fraud risk ranks highest for the application of FDA at 77 per cent, and cyber breach or insider threat risk ranks second at 70 per cent.

Increased FDA investment

With just 55 per cent of respondents saying that their FDA spend is sufficient, a drop from 64 per cent in our  2014 survey, it is no surprise that three out of five say that they plan to spend more on FDA in the next two years.

When looking at the reasons for increased investment, the survey found that responding to growing cybercrime risks and increased regulatory scrutiny are the top drivers at 53 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively. How FDA tools are deployed is also changing, with 63 per cent of respondents saying they invest at least half of their FDA budget on proactive monitoring activities.

FDA use on the rise

In response to these increased risks, the use of advanced FDA is becoming mainstream, with new technologies and surveillance monitoring techniques widely used to help companies manage current and emerging fraud and cyber risks.

The rising maturity of corporate FDA efforts is also evident through the growing sophistication in their use of data. Seventy-five percent of respondents routinely analyze a wide range of structured and unstructured data, enabling them to gain a comprehensive view of their risk environment.

Paul Marsters, director, Mena Forensic Technology & Discovery Services, EY, said: “Given the level of pressure on fraud prevention that organizations in Mena are facing, it is no surprise that the majority of respondents are expending more effort on proactive initiatives.”

“With technology becoming increasingly sophisticated, the opportunity to drive value from FDA efforts is improving. If the FDA plans are aligned with businesses investments in broader Data Analytics, then there is a great opportunity to raise FDA benefits case and awareness to executives,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service