January 16, 2024 at 01:10PM
Africa and the Middle East stand out in cybersecurity compared to their economic peers, but fall short in overall cyber resilience. Despite this, efforts to improve cybersecurity in the regions are underway, including investing in replacing outdated technology and creating stronger workflows for identifying threats. Sustaining these efforts will require addressing talent gaps and making cybersecurity solutions more affordable.
The meeting notes provide insights into the cybersecurity landscape in Africa and the Middle East. Both regions lead their economic peers in cybersecurity but fall short of strong scores for overall cyber resilience. The SecurityScorecard report indicates that the Middle East scored a low ‘B’, surpassing East Asian and Southern European regions, while Africa achieved a solid ‘C’, surpassing its peers in the Central Asian and Caucasian region and South Asia.
The notes highlight the need for both regions to invest in replacing outdated technology and end-of-life systems, as well as create stronger workflows for identifying threats and patching systems. It also emphasizes the increasing priority of cybersecurity for organizations in both regions and the need to address the talent gap in cybersecurity workforce.
Furthermore, the correlation between the strength of the regional economy and cyber readiness is discussed, revealing that robust economies tend to have more mature cybersecurity practices. The report also highlights the prevalent cyber threats faced by African nations, including distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) campaigns and ransomware attacks.
Overall, the meeting notes provide a comprehensive overview of the cybersecurity challenges and opportunities in Africa and the Middle East and emphasize the importance of investing in cybersecurity measures to bridge the existing gaps.