Cybersecurity Level in the Middle East: An Overview of the Cybersecurity Market State
Recently, in the countries of the Middle East, there has been a progressive success in digitization. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the risks of cyber-attacks, which can come from both other countries and criminal hacker groups. In this region, the government of each country seeks to provide a secure digital environment using new modern measures.
For security, the use of reliable antivirus software both at the government level and for ordinary users plays an important role. In the countries of the Middle East, an active policy is being directed to develop the antivirus software market, which also includes the distribution and support of the best internet security software.
Cybersecurity Market of Middle East Overview
The security market in the Middle East and Africa at the end of 2019 was estimated at more than 7 billion US dollars, and according to forecasts for the period 2020-2025, CAGR will reach 14.97%. In connection with the rapid growth of the digital system, new gateways for cyber-attacks have opened.
The main factor that influences the existence of cyberattacks is a constant increase in vulnerabilities in supply chains and digital communication networks, an increase in the online consumer base, and, unfortunately, vulnerable cybersecurity infrastructure.
Most of the social infrastructure and public services have increasingly begun to pay attention to ensuring interconnection while bypassing the security of these developments.
According to Kaspersky Lab reports, about 43% of organizations in the region have insufficient cybersecurity infrastructure, and 72% of companies have web-based applications vulnerable to attacks.
Cybersecurity Policy of Middle East: Key Areas
The link between business-critical data and applications, devices, and users is a base of the digital infrastructure. To penetrate the digital system and get information, cybercriminals use a variety of methods ranging from the introduction of malware and phishing to various types of DDoS attacks. Such forms of threats can lead not only to information leakage but also to significant financial losses.
According to statistics, about 50% of all threats are directed against oil and gas companies. In this regard, the government and organizations of the countries of the Middle East are making every effort to protect their networks, user data, and endpoints. Here are some measures:
First of all, the government of the countries is, of course, increasing investments in the communication and information fields. For example, one of the UAE banks invested about 1 billion AED in digital transformation.
It is crucial to increase the base of skilled workers in the digital field. Developing opportunities and encouraging career professionals in cybersecurity, developing training programs and providers. Kuwait has developed specific e-health and government policies. A policy of educating citizens about possible cyber threats and active promotion so-called “cyber hygiene.”
Awards and incentives for achievements in the field of cybersecurity, the government of the countries of the Middle East region contributes to the development of innovation and research in this field, motivating young scientists and students to a cyber-worker career. An excellent indicator is that Saudi Arabia received the World Bank’s vocation through the development of new secure payment systems and electronic filing of documents.
Expanding the market for antivirus software and promoting the use of antivirus software among all Internet users.
Antivirus Market in the Middle East region
Cybersecurity is also developing through the improvement and development of the ecosystem of the cybersecurity market. It includes such significant security suppliers software as Intel Security (USA) – McAfee Antivirus, Software Technologies Ltd (Israel), Cisco Systems, Inc. (USA) – Immunet Antivirus, IBM Corporation (USA) – Powertech Antivirus, Symantec Corporation (USA) – e.g. Norton Antivirus, Computer Sciences Corporation (USA) and others. According to statistics, the top-5 most common antivirus solutions include:
1. Cisco Systems, Inc.
2. Dell Technologies.
3. Kaspersky Lab.
4. IBM Corporation.
5. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
In addition to antivirus solutions, the listed companies supply the market with IAM, Encryption, DLP, UTM, Firewall, IDS / IPS, Disaster Recovery security software.
Summary
The definition of cybersecurity implies the achievement and preservation of the security properties of the resources of organizations or users against various types of cyber threats arising on the Internet.
The main objectives of securing a network are accessibility, integrity, and confidentiality.
Therefore, cybersecurity is the most important condition for the development of the information society in the countries of the Middle East at the present stage and requires close attention from international organizations, representatives of academic and analytical centers, government officials, and media representatives. As you can see, attention to cybersecurity is growing, and governments are making significant efforts to achieve a secure digital society.
