Data Privacy Day serves as an important reminder for IT leaders in all organisations across the Middle East region of the scale of growing cyber threats to their data, as well as the business risks presented by non-compliance with the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, designed to keep data safeguarded. In line with this year’s theme of ‘Taking Control of your Data,’ the role of Artificial Intelligence, and its relationship to our data protection cannot be overlooked.
“As the Middle East tightens its data protection frameworks in response to these challenges, it is clear that vigilance and adaptability are not merely optional but essential and are also recognised as critical by individuals.”
Words from Ramzi Itani, Regional Director Veritas Technologies
While the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the way we manage our data is evident, AI’s swift evolution has given rise to new challenges, notably seen in the surge of autonomous ransomware attacks.
Veritas’ Data Risk Management report revealed that 73% of UAE organisations fell victim to ransomware attacks in the last two years. AI not only enhances threat detection but also empowers cybercriminals to execute sophisticated attacks.
The evolution of AI is also making data privacy compliance more complex, and regional and national regulatory must continue to develop legislative guardrails for public-facing large language models (LLMs) and Generative AI (GenAI). For example, The DIFC recently announced amendments to its existing data protection regulations, with newly added AI provisions being some of the most significant changes.
As the Middle East tightens its data protection frameworks in response to these challenges, it is clear that vigilance and adaptability are not merely optional but essential and are also recognised as critical by individuals. Veritas research on the use of generative AI technologies in professional environments showed that 44% of employees questioned in the UAE understood that using public generative AI tools did introduce greater risks of sensitive information being leaked.
The commitment to principles of ethical AI use in the region, particularly with the UAE’s national strategy for AI, is a testament to the proactive stance being taken. In navigating the intricate balance between leveraging AI for protection and preventing its misuse, the balance struck today will define the security and privacy of our digital tomorrow.
Dave Russell, VP of Enterprise Strategy at Veeam, said, “Cyber threats like ransomware play a critical role in organizations’ ability to keep their data safe. Knowing how public attacks have gotten and considering consumer demands for better transparency into business security measures, there’s generally more awareness around ransomware in 2024. New research supports the idea that ransomware continues to be a ‘when’ not ‘if’ scenario, with 76 percent of organizations attacked at least once in the past year, and 26 percent attacked at least four times during that time. Data recovery should be a key focus around Data Privacy Day 2024, knowing that it’s still a major concern as only 13 percent of organizations say they can successfully recover during a disaster recovery situation. In 2024, the overall mindfulness of cyber preparedness will take precedence.”
Rick Vanover, Senior Director, Product Strategy at Veeam, added, “Data Privacy Day serves as an annual reminder for organizations to protect their data workloads amid rising cybercrime. No organization wants to be named the latest victim of a ransomware attack, and to avoid falling victim, business leaders need to prioritize data backup recovery and resiliency. According to new research, cyberattacks are the #1 cause of business outages, meaning backup is as relevant as ever. Cyber leaders are also feeling less protected and more concerned about their ability to recover and restore data, with only 32 percent believing they can recover from an attack, crisis, or outage within a week. Going forward, organizations are taking data privacy more seriously. Most organizations (92 percent) plan to increase their data protection spend in 2024 to achieve cyber resilience amid ransomware and cyberattacks.”
Mohamad Rizk, Regional Director Middle East & CIS at Veeam Software, maintained, “International Data Protection Day is an annual reminder about the importance of protecting all data – either personal or business information – and the responsibilities of organizations to take the necessary steps to increase cyber-resilience and strengthen data security. Although most businesses are aware of the issue and the ever-evolving threat landscape they are also all too aware of their shortcomings that – if not taken care of – can be easy gateways for cybercriminals to infiltrate the network undetected and that will ultimately lead to a successful ransomware attack and disrupted business continuity in the near future.”
