Revealed: These are the devices that make firms most vulnerable to cyberattacks

Network-attached storage devices are the most at risk in the Mena region while the manufacturing sector has the highest number of affected devices from the cyberattacks, according to a new survey.

Conducted by Forescout technologies, the survey found that these devices often have both easy-to-exploit vulnerabilities and internet connectivity; thus they are constantly targeted by threat actors for ransomware, botnets, crypto mining, or simply data destruction in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

The study found that manufacturing has the highest percentage of devices with high risk (11 per cent), while government (43 per cent) and financial (37 per cent) have the top combinations of medium and high risk. Healthcare and retail have the lowest risk overall, with 20 per cent of devices having medium or high risk in healthcare and 18 per cent in retail.

IT devices are still the main target of malware, including ransomware, and the main initial access points for malicious actors. These actors exploit vulnerabilities on internet-exposed devices, such as servers running unpatched operating systems and business applications, or use social engineering and phishing techniques to dupe employees into running malicious code on their computers.

“We are keen to raise awareness and let government entities and businesses know exactly where the vulnerabilities lie with their network,” said Ihab Moawad, Vice President, Forescout, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa.

Riskiest connected devices per category

- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com