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RIYADH: Internet users in Saudi Arabia are becoming more conscious of cyber risks as 97 percent ofrespondentsin a recent pollsaid thattheytake extensive measures to protect the security of their home connections.

According to a survey conducted byglobaltechnology firm Cisco,as many as 91 percent of respondents ranked broadband as critical national infrastructure, while 68 percent said they rely on their homeinternet to work from home or run a business.

Ciscos Broadband Survey,which wasconducted withover 21,000 people across 12 countries, included2,000 respondents from the Kingdom.

Our survey has confirmed that consumers in Saudi Arabia are increasingly prioritizing cybersecurity when using their broadband service, and this is aligned with the results of our previous study that revealed that 73 percent of consumers in the Kingdom worry about cybercriminals hacking their devices,said Salman Faqeeh, managingdirector at Cisco Saudi Arabia.

With the prevalence of hybrid work models and the evolution and complexity of cyberattacks,he said theusage of sophisticated means for protection like multi-factor authenticationhas becomemore important than ever.

Passwordscontinueto bethe mostpopular wayto combat cyber risks as 52 percent of the survey respondents in Saudi Arabiasaid theyuse them to protect their home networks and devices.

As manyas 28 percent of respondents in the Kingdomsaid theyswitch on their routersfirewall, which poses a security barrier between the internet and ones home network.

According to the survey, up to 38 percent of consumers ranked security as a top priority when choosing their broadband package, even though speedremainsone of the main preferences.

In addition to this, an estimated 76 percent of consumers in the Kingdom expressed that they feel more secure while using the cloud.Earlier this month, the Saudi Ministry of Commerce released its summary bulletin which showed that internet security is gaining prominence in the Kingdom as an increasing number of cybersecurity firmsare seekingregistrationto engage in commercial activities.

According to the summary bulletin, the number of cybersecurity firms registered in Saudi Arabia grew by 52 percent to reach 2,229 in the second quarter of 2023, up from 1,462 in the year-ago period.

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Saudis aware of cyber risks as 97% of respondents take security ... - Arab News