According to the 2023 Dell Technologies Global Data Protection Index survey, which included 1,000 IT decision-makers and 500 IT security decision-makers, about 45% of organizations in the UAE faced a cyberattack or incident blocking data access in the previous year. The survey findings highlight that IT disturbances are a common occurrence, with 90% of respondents from the EMEA region reporting some form of IT disruption in 2023. In the UAE, the leading cause (33%) of data loss and system downtime was external security breaches. More than half (55%) of those affected by cyberattacks identified the initial breach point as external, including phishing emails, compromised credentials, and hacked mobile devices.
The survey also revealed the significant financial impact of these disruptions. In 2023, data loss incidents averaged a cost of USD $2.61 million, with an average of 26 hours of unplanned downtime and about 2.45TB of data loss. Notably, the financial repercussions of cyberattacks and related incidents have escalated, doubling from USD $0.66 million in 2022 to USD $1.41 million in 2023.
Generative AI and cybersecurity
In the realm of Generative AI (GenAI), 65% of the surveyed participants in the UAE view it as a beneficial tool for enhancing cybersecurity defenses. Despite this, 88% acknowledge that GenAI adoption will lead to a substantial increase in data volumes, and the same percentage (92%) agree that GenAI will enhance the value of certain data types. Walid Yehia, Managing Director – UAE at Dell Technologies, emphasized the complexity of securing digital assets amidst the adoption of multi-cloud solutions, hybrid working models, and generative AI, especially in a business environment frequently targeted by cyberattacks.
The survey also sheds light on attitudes toward ransomware attacks. A notable 87% of respondents believe that paying a ransom would result in full data recovery, and 80% think that payment would prevent future attacks. However, even though 99% of UAE respondents stated their organizations have ransomware insurance, only 6% who experienced an attack reported full reimbursement through their policies. The responses also indicate that ransomware insurance policies are subject to stringent conditions, with 59% needing to demonstrate ‘best practice’ in cyber threat prevention, 37% facing limits on claim payouts, and 44% encountering scenarios that nullify their policies.
