A recent Kaspersky study reveals that businesses are increasingly worried about the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cyberattacks. According to the findings, 56% of surveyed companies in South Africa reported a rise in cyber incidents over the past year, with almost half of respondents (47%) noting that many of these attacks were likely AI-driven. The study underscores the reality that AI, which has revolutionised numerous industries, is now also empowering cybercriminals, adding an additional layer of complexity to the threats businesses face.
In its latest study titled “Cyber defense & AI: Are you ready to protect your organisation?” Kaspersky gathered the opinions of IT Security and Information Security professionals working for SMEs and Enterprise-level companies regarding new challenges in protecting their organisations against cyberattacks involving the use of AI.
Leveraging AI by cybercriminals is a serious concern for 76% of respondents from South Africa. The pressure of this challenge is pushing companies to reassess their cybersecurity strategies and look for solutions that are both proactive and comprehensive. To effectively tackle AI-amplified threats, businesses in South Africa consider regular training to build internal expertise (98%), highly qualified personnel (98%), and relevant external cybersecurity expertise (98%) as the most important factors for protecting their organisations. They also recognise the importance of having enough staff in their IT teams (96%) and using third-party security solutions (91%).
Despite rising awareness, the study reveals a concerning gap in readiness among many companies. Just under half of the organisations surveyed in South Africa lack crucial resources needed to address these sophisticated threats – 44% don’t have the relevant external cybersecurity expertise at their disposal, 38% report that their IT teams are not large enough, 36% lack highly qualified staff, and 31% fall short in regular training efforts. Additionally, 42% of respondents do not think they have adequate security solutions in place, exposing them to potential vulnerabilities. While most respondents claim to know how to address this lack of resources, the fact remains that they aren’t in place.
“The cybersecurity landscape today mirrors past challenges, with businesses questioning if current solutions suffice. Ransomware, once a primary threat, now demonstrates a dangerous surge, and business decision-makers start questioning the causes of this resurgence. The recent hype around AI offers an easy, if not entirely correct explanation. In reality, while using AI to create convincing phishing messages or more effective reconnaissance may be of some help, the root causes are most often more straightforward: cybercriminals have become more organised, better at collaborating, developing innovative attack strategies, and lowering the barriers for less skilled and resourceful attackers. So, while it’s useful to keep an eye on AI progress that can enable both attackers and defenders with new options, there are solid strategies companies can – and should – implement immediately. Companies should prioritise securing critical IT infrastructure with robust, multi-layered solutions that offer a unified security context. An XDR ecosystem, combined with skilled expertise – whether in-house or through a managed service – can greatly enhance defences. Additionally, ongoing employee training, including cybersecurity basics and safe AI practices, adds another critical layer of protection for the organisation,” says Oleg Gorobets, corporate infrastructure protection expert at Kaspersky.
To protect the business against AI-enabled cyberthreats, Kaspersky recommends starting with the following:
- Ensure that every level and element of your IT network is protected with solid, multi-layered protective solutions. Kaspersky solutions, starting with Kaspersky Next product line, all have fairly advanced AI technologies under the hood designed to automatically block emerging threats.
- Make sure that these security solutions offer inter-compatibility to provide your team with a unified view of your corporate security. This is where XDR comes into play – implementing an organic XDR ecosystem from a single vendor is always the superior choice; Kaspersky Next XDR Expert is a natural option here.
- By leveraging the best cybersecurity expertise, organisations can detect and contain complex, focused attacks which increase in sophistication as AI tools help attackers to launch more precise targeted attacks. If you lack this expertise in-house, Kaspersky Managed Detection & Response together with online and live Kaspersky Cybersecurity Training are a strong options that bolster your in-house skills.
- Turn your office workforce into an extra layer of defense with the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform, which instils cybersafe behaviour. It includes specialised sections dedicated to AI-assisted threats and safe use of AI tools, helping to avoid the risks associated with the growing proliferation of AI tools.
The full report with more findings is available via this link.
