Consumers in Saudi Arabia are Conscious of Cyber Risks

Cisco’s latest Broadband Survey has revealed that internet users in Saudi Arabia are conscious of cyber risks, with only 3% of respondents not taking any measure to protect the security of their home connection.

The survey of more than 21,000 people in 12 countries, including 2,000 respondents from KSA, looked at how consumers use their broadband connectivity.

In Saudi Arabia, 91% of total survey respondents ranked broadband as critical national infrastructure; while 68% of respondents rely on their home Internet to work from home or run a business.

Security is a Priority as More Move Online

The emergence of hybrid work and the ever-increasing blur between the professional and personal lives of employees brings new risks into the home. Despite most consumers using their broadband for tasks like banking and work, passwords are still the most popular way (52%) for survey respondents in KSA to protect home networks and devices, while only 28% have switched on their router’s firewall.

Commenting on the findings of the survey, Salman Faqeeh, Managing Director, Cisco Saudi Arabia, said: “Our survey has confirmed that consumers in Saudi Arabia are increasingly prioritising cybersecurity when using their broadband service, and this is aligned with the results of our previous study that revealed that 73% of consumers in KSA worry about cybercriminals hacking their devices. Today, with the prevalence of hybrid work models and the evolution and complexity of cyber-attacks, usage of sophisticated means for protection like multi-factor authentication (MFA), is more important than ever.”

While speed is still the main priority among those planning to upgrade their broadband in the next year (selected by 40%), security is now a close second, ranked by 38% of consumers as a top priority when choosing their broadband package.

The survey has shown that consumers in KSA feel secure while using the cloud, with more than three-quarters (76%) of internet users believing that using the cloud is secure and only 6% stating that they do not feel the cloud is secure.

Last month, Cisco announced plans to establish a data centre for cloud-delivered security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to help customers protect their users, infrastructure, and investments against threat actors. The announcement is part of Cisco’s continued effort to empower organisations locally and in the region with flexible security services and data protection for devices, remote users, and distributed locations.