Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, Regional Vice President and Managing Director, MMEA, Trend Micro, explains their approach to addressing the biggest trends and challenges impacting the cybersecurity ecosystem at GISEC 2024.
What products/solutions are you showcasing at GISEC this year?
This year Trend Micro showcased its state-of-the-art security offerings, including the groundbreaking Trend Vision One, recently launched in the UAE. This pioneering unified platform goes beyond conventional cybersecurity measures, providing an unparalleled, comprehensive framework for threat detection, response, and risk analysis.
Trend Vision One simplifies and converges security operations for organizations through a holistic approach by supporting diverse hybrid IT environments, automating workflows, and delivering expert cybersecurity. Leveraging state-of-the-art technologies like encrypted traffic analysis and anomaly detection, it robustly defends against a wide array of network-based threats & intrusions, and advanced persistent threats (APTs), ensuring unparalleled airtight security. With extended detection and response (XDR) at its core, it sets a new benchmark, equipping security teams with enhanced capabilities to gain better visibility and respond swiftly to emerging threats.
This cloud-native security operations platform surpasses traditional cybersecurity measures by offering a unique, holistic approach to threat detection, response, and risk analysis, delivering remarkable outcomes including a 17% reduction in data breach risk, a 70% decrease in cybersecurity costs, and a 20% reduction in employee turnover. Trend Vision One™ significantly benefits businesses, enhancing threat detection and response time by 70%. By breaking down security silos, the platform reduces network dwell time by 65% and reduces security events by 55%, streamlining operations. Additionally, it minimizes the risk of attack repropagation by an impressive 60%, preventing threats from spreading and causing additional harm.
Why is an event like GISEC important for Trend Micro?
Participating in events like GISEC, the leading gathering ground for the global cybersecurity community, holds immense strategic importance for Trend Micro. It not only provides a platform to elevate awareness of our latest insights and cutting-edge solutions but also illuminates the essential transformation that organizations within the country must adopt to thrive amidst a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
We take pride in our participation at GISEC, as this involvement underscores our commitment to preparing organizations for the cybersecurity challenges of tomorrow and ensuring that they are well-equipped to thrive in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.
How is Trend Micro integrating emerging technologies, particularly AI, into its solutions portfolio?
We have innovation at the heart of our operations, and leverage advanced technologies like machine learning, behavioural analysis, and artificial intelligence to detect and counter emerging threats proactively. This commitment to cutting-edge solutions ensures that we stay ahead of evolving cyber risks.
Trend Micro is a pioneer in the use of AI and machine learning for cybersecurity, having embedded the technology in its products, with a strong emphasis on AI-augmented solutions. Over the years, the company expanded and matured its use of AI, developing new models to detect and contain unknown threats more effectively. Most recently, the flagship Trend Vision One™ platform integrated advanced AI capabilities to help security operations analysts better prioritize incoming threats. The latest version of the platform released adds generative AI in the form of companion, called Trend Vision One™ – Companion, a new assistant designed to empower analysts to streamline workflows and drive productivity.
What is the single most important security trend today, in your opinion?
In my opinion, one of the most critical security trends today is the emergence of AI as a transformative force in cybersecurity. The 2024 landscape is characterized by various emerging trends, including increased vulnerabilities in cloud environments, risks of data poisoning in Machine Learning models, the rise of generative AI in social engineering and scams, and targeted attacks on software supply chains and blockchain technology. However, the integration of AI into cybersecurity practices stands out as a keystone trend with both opportunities and challenges.
AI plays a pivotal role in strengthening cybersecurity efforts by enabling advanced threat detection, behavioural analysis, automation, predictive insights, scalability, and reinforcing incident response capabilities. It empowers organizations to proactively identify and mitigate potential threats, leveraging its ability to analyse vast amounts of data and detect patterns that might go unnoticed by human analysts. The utilization of AI also enhances the efficiency and speed of incident response, helping organizations stay one step ahead of cyber attackers. However, with the remarkable advancements in AI, there is also an inherent increase in associated risks. Cyber attackers continuously exploit vulnerabilities and leverage AI techniques to launch highly sophisticated attacks. As a result, organizations must not only leverage AI for defence but also ramp up their overall cybersecurity approach to keep pace with these evolving threats.
In light of these trends and directions, the Trend Micro Security Predictions report 2024 emphasizes the need for robust, multi-layered cybersecurity strategies. Organizations should prioritize strengthening cloud security to mitigate vulnerabilities in cloud environments. Additionally, they must bolster their defences against AI threats, recognizing that AI can be used by both attackers and defenders in the cybersecurity landscape. Securing software supply chains is another important aspect, as attackers increasingly target the software development lifecycle to inject malicious code or compromise the integrity of software updates. Lastly, enhancing blockchain network security is crucial, considering the growing adoption of blockchain technology and the need to protect the integrity and confidentiality of distributed ledgers.
What is the biggest challenge businesses in the region face when it comes to implementing a security framework/new technology?
When it comes to implementing a security framework or new technology, businesses in the region face significant challenges in the ever-evolving threat landscape of 2024. This landscape is characterized by various complex risks, including advanced ransomware attacks, vulnerabilities in the software supply chain, zero-day exploits, cloud-specific risks, vulnerabilities in IoT devices, insider threats, AI and ML-powered cyberattacks, deceptive phishing attempts, and nation-state-sponsored threats.
In response to these challenges, Trend Micro adopts a comprehensive approach that integrates advanced technologies like machine learning and behavioural analysis. This approach plays a crucial role in detecting and mitigating emerging threats, such as ransomware and attacks leveraging AI. However, addressing these challenges goes beyond technological solutions alone.
Trend Micro recognizes the importance of threat research and intelligence sharing in staying ahead of the evolving threat landscape. By actively monitoring and analysing emerging threats, we are able to develop effective countermeasures and provide timely insights to our customers. Additionally, Trend Micro acknowledges the critical role of cybersecurity education and awareness in empowering organizations. By equipping businesses with the knowledge and skills to identify and respond to potential threats, we contribute to building a more resilient security framework.
Image Credit: Trend Micro
