Intelligent CISO Issue 27 | Page 12

news UAE saw almost 70,000 cyberattacks on smartphones in 2020 with an increase during quarantine eviewing the statistics of R cyberattacks on smartphone users, Kaspersky researchers saw that in the period of January to June 2020, the number of malicious attacks on mobile users reached 68,063 in the United Arab Emirates. Myrna Soto, Chief Strategy and Trust Officer, Forcepoint The results showed that quarantine did not have a particular influence on the UAE threat landscape. To compare UAE with other Middle Eastern countries, the figure for Egypt was 220,000, Saudi Arabia saw 160,000 attacks in five months, followed by Kuwait (20,000) and Oman (15,000). As mobile platforms’ influence grows, the role of smartphones in business processes and day-to-day life is growing rapidly. In response, cybercriminals are paying more attention to how they are distributing malware and the attack vectors used, increasing their activity in times of crisis. In many scenarios, timing can be a key part of the success of a malicious campaign, taking advantage of those users who are changing their security practices under pressure and do not have any reliable security solutions installed on their phones. Throughout the year, the number of attacks did not change dramatically, which means that the implementation of quarantine measures did not influence mobile threat landscape in the region. It would account for approximately 11,000 to 14,000 attacks monthly. This can be explained by the fact that mobile platforms were initially made to be independent from the physical location of the user. FORCEPOINT APPOINTS CHIEF STRATEGY AND TRUST OFFICER, MYRNA SOTO lobal cybersecurity G leader, Forcepoint, has announced that Myrna Soto has joined the company as Forcepoint’s inaugural Chief Strategy and Trust Officer. In this newlycreated role, Soto will serve as a strategic business and technology driver of the company’s enterprise vision, strategy and programmes to protect people, critical data and IP, both within the company and for thousands of Forcepoint customers around the globe. As Chief Strategy and Trust Officer, Soto will also serve as a global leader and champion for both the development and execution of strategic initiatives that continue to propel Forcepoint forward as one of the industry leaders for user and data protection worldwide and global enterprises’ trusted cybersecurity partner of choice, and will function as a member of Forcepoint’s Security Council. A security and information technology veteran, having held senior leadership roles with many of the world’s most recognised brands, Soto brings more than 25 years of experience to Forcepoint. Utilising her experience as a transformational security and business leader at Fortune 500 companies, including American Express, Comcast and MGM Resorts, Soto will serve as a trusted security and technology innovation partner to customers as they re-assess their security posture in today’s new business reality, reliant on cloud-driven security solutions to protect the work-from-everywhere workforce. 12 Issue 27 | www.intelligentciso.com