Organizations in the UAE Must Boost Defense Against AI-generated Risks, CyberArk Research Find

Dubai, UAE – October 2, 2024 – With artificial intelligence (AI) fueling an increase in machine identities and a rapid expansion of the threat surface, CyberArk (NASDAQ: CYBR), the identity security company, is using its presence at GITEX (H23-A40, Hall 23) to raise awareness of emerging risks and demonstrate how organizations in the region can embrace AI-powered solutions to achieve optimal security.

Human and machine identities are set to triple in the region over the next year, and 40% of machine identities are estimated to have access to sensitive data, while the majority of UAE organizations only consider humans as privileged users, with appropriate security controls on their access, according to the CyberArk Identity Security Threat Landscape report.

The main drivers of the increase in human and machine identities are cloud workloads, application credentials, containerization of apps, IoT, bots and other non-human identities, according to the report, which surveyed 2,400 cybersecurity decision makers in more than 18 countries including the UAE.  It also revealed that for 65% of UAE organizations, the definition of a ‘privileged user’ applies solely to human identities, and 50% of respondents say machine identities are the riskiest form of identity, above employees and third-party identities.

“The biggest drivers of vulnerability in 2024 are machine identities, yet most organizations are still focusing on human identities and fighting yesterday’s battle,” said Tom Lowndes, regional director for the Middle East at CyberArk. “Often over-privileged and under-secured, machine identities are complex and growing rapidly, and for this reason, our message at GITEX is loud and clear – organizations must wake up to this fact and start to reassess their strategies to secure privileged and sensitive access. A new way of thinking about identity security is required if we are to ensure that every identity is secured with the right level of controls. We’re keen to demonstrate how organizations can tackle these risks and prepare for new types of AI-driven threats.”

At GITEX, CyberArk will demonstrate a range of solutions dedicated to helping organizations overcome these challenges, including CyberArk CORA AI, a new set of AI-powered capabilities embedded across its identity security platform.

CORA AI can translate vast numbers of identity data points into insights and enables multi-step actions in natural language, enabling users and their organizations to be more secure, efficient and effective in securing identities – human and machine – with the right level of privilege controls.

In September, CyberArk earned the Trusted Cloud Provider trustmark from the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment.

Visitors to GITEX can learn more at CyberArk’s presence with its partner Gulf IT Network Distribution on H23-A40, Hall 23.