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

The study revealed that routers and wireless access points, as well as other network infrastructure devices, are becoming more common entry points for malware and advanced persistent threats.

Routers are risky because they are often exposed online, interfacing internal and external networks, have dangerous exposed open ports and have many vulnerabilities that are often quickly exploited by malicious actors. Wireless access points are the typical border between internal and external networks in physical locations. They frequently host both guest and corporate networks and are used to connect guest devices, including computers and mobile.

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- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai