GEC NEWS WIRESTME has issued a strong warning to the region’s business community about the potential vulnerability of IT systems following the global Wannacry attack in May 2017.
It is estimated the attack affected 200,000 computers in 150 countries, including systems used by Fedex, Nissan and the UK’s National Health Service.
Ayman Al Bayaa, CEO, STME, said: “Today, cyberattacks pave the way for extortion, bribery, blackmail, theft and even a complete blackout of systems, yet according to data from KPMG, only 50% of respondents have any counter attack measures in place. It is of vital importance that these firms and organizations stress test their systems and address all potential vulnerabilities.”
There are three trends driving cybercrime currently. New hacking technology has paved the way for automated attacks, meaning that it is only a matter of time before an unprotected system is detected and compromised. There has also been an emergence in hackers taking control of computers, with access to all the information employees and management see. Thirdly, hackers copy and encrypt information that may be useful to them – bank details, log in codes – and can use these to re-access the system and even post a ransom demand.
STME believes that knowledge is the first link in the chain of stopping an attack. STME provides an informative consultancy service to clients, covering the security climate in general and the options available.
STME has developed solutions across cost models, meaning all companies in the MENA region can access STME’s security products covering networks, host, identity, database, cloud security, security management and security operation centres.
Al Bayaa concluded: “In order to address a global threat that is unparalleled in its scale and ability to devastate business operations, bespoke and adequate systems are required. These don’t have to break the bank, but they can eliminate the impact of somebody attempting to break into your systems.”
