New research details rising enterprise cloud security risks, successful strategies adopted to manage genAI risks in 2024

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Netskope, a global leader in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), today shared new research showing that, as a result of the growing prevalence and sophistication of phishing attacks, enterprise employees click on phishing lures nearly three times more in 2024 compared to the prior year. The findings, based on data gathered by Netskope from enterprises worldwide, and published as part of Netskope’s annual Cloud & Threat Report, reveal growing security risks related to the persistent use of personal cloud apps and continued adoption of genAI tools in the workplace, underscoring the need to adopt modern data security to proactively manage that risk.

Phishing lures triple in success rate

Despite organizations’ repeated attempts at security awareness training, with a particular emphasis on how employees can avoid being phished, in 2024 enterprise users clicked on phishing lures at a rate nearly three times higher than in 2023. More than eight out of every 1,000 users clicked on a phishing link each month – up 190% from last year when fewer than three per thousand enterprise users fell prey to phishing attempts.

Where attackers host their malicious payloads is also an element of social engineering. Attackers want to host malicious content on platforms where victims place some implicit trust, including popular cloud apps such as GitHub, Microsoft OneDrive, and Google Drive. In 2024, downloads of malicious content from popular cloud apps occurred in 88% of organizations at least once per month.

The top target for phishing campaigns that users clicked on in 2024 were cloud applications, representing more than a quarter of all phishing clicks at 27%. Among the cloud apps, Microsoft was by far the most targeted brand at a rate of 42% where attackers targeted Microsoft Live and Microsoft 365 credentials.

Personal apps blurring the lines

The ubiquity of personal cloud apps in the enterprise has created an environment where employees are knowingly or unknowingly using these apps to process or store sensitive information, leading to loss of organizational control over data and potential data breaches. Among the top personal apps that users send data to are cloud storage, webmail, genAI, social media, and personal calendar apps.

In 2024, 88% of all employees used personal cloud apps each month, with more than one out of every four users (26%) uploading, posting, or otherwise sending data to personal apps. Sensitive data being leaked through personal apps is top of mind for most organizations, with the most common type of data policy violation being for regulated data (60%), which included personal, financial, or healthcare data being uploaded to personal apps. The other types of data involved in policy violations include intellectual property (16%), source code (13%), passwords and keys (11%), and encrypted data (1%).

GenAI growth trends continue

In 2023, genAI came roaring into the workplace, and growing adoption of genAI apps by both organizations and users—as well as the overall volume of genAI apps in use— continued through 2024. Specifically:

Organizational use grew from 81% of companies using genAI apps in 2023 to 94% in 2024. ChatGPT continues to be the most popular genAI app, being used in 84% of organizations.Employee use rate of genAI apps tripled from 2.6% of all people in organizations to 7.8%. Retail and technology organizations lead all industries with an average of more than 13% of all employees using genAI apps monthly.Organizations now use an average of 9.6 genAI apps, up from 7.6 a year ago. The top 25% of organizations now use at least 24 genAI apps, whereas the bottom 25% are using 4 genAI apps at most.

Managing the genAI data risk

As genAI apps continued to solidify their standing as an enterprise mainstay (94% of organizations now use them) in 2024, organizations have shown they are still in the early stages of putting controls in place for the safe enablement of genAI and to help mitigate the data risks posed by genAI apps:

45% of organizations use DLP to control the flow of data into genAI apps. Industry adoption of DLP for genAI varies widely with telecommunications the highest at 64%.34% of organizations use real-time interactive user coaching to empower individuals to make appropriate and informed decisions.73% of the time, when prompted with warnings of a potential company violation, users opt to not proceed based on coaching information provided.73% of organizations block at least one genAI app, with a steady rate of 2.4 genAI apps blocked on average year over year.The number of apps blocked by the top 25% of all organizations blocking genAI apps has more than doubled from 6.3 apps to 14.6 over the past year.

Key takeaways for organizations

Netskope recommends organizations take the following steps to protect their environments:

Users are being bombarded with phishing links from all directions: email, social media, ads in search engine results, and all over the web. Furthermore, genAI is making it easier for attackers to craft convincing phishes. All of this underscores that relying on education alone to help users detect a phishing attempt is insufficient and must be coupled with investments in modern data protection.

Employees will continue to accidentally (or intentionally) share files via their personal accounts, include proprietary information in their personal backups, and use personal app instances to take data when leaving the organization. Regardless of intent, organizations must limit access to only those apps that serve a legitimate business purpose, create a review and approval process for new apps and implement a continuous monitoring process that will alert security operators when apps are being misused or have been compromised.

The trajectory of more organizations and more employees using genAI will continue into 2025 as genAI becomes more entrenched in the workplace. At the same time, the number of genAI apps will continue to grow, necessitating controls to ensure that only approved apps are used, and only for approved use cases. Organizations should use modern data security to control data movement into approved apps, leverage real-time user coaching to empower people to make informed decisions when using genAI apps, and implement controls that block unapproved apps.

“The common thread for organizations working to safely enable the use of apps in the enterprise, and mitigate the challenges across the threat landscape, is the need for modern data security,” said Ray Canzanese, Director of Netskope Threat Labs. “Gone are the days when data security was an afterthought. It must be seamlessly integrated into every aspect of an organization’s operations. From defending against phishing to safeguarding personal apps and managing genAI, data security is no longer just a perimeter defense. It is a dynamic, proactive framework with real-time user coaching, DLP, and app-specific controls to stay ahead of an ever-changing threat landscape.”

Read the full Cloud and Threat Report: 2025 here. For more information on cloud-enabled threats and the latest findings from Netskope Threat Labs, visit Netskope’s Threat Research Hub.

About Netskope
Netskope, a global SASE leader, helps organizations apply zero trust principles and AI/ML innovations to protect data and defend against cyber threats. Fast and easy to use, the Netskope One platform and its patented Zero Trust Engine provide optimized access and real-time security for people, devices, and data anywhere they go. Thousands of customers trust Netskope and its powerful NewEdge network to reduce risk and gain unrivaled visibility into any cloud, SaaS, web, and private application activity—providing security and accelerating performance without compromise.

Learn more at netskope.com, on the Netskope blog, on LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Media Contacts:
press@netskope.com

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SOURCE Netskope

ABU DHABI, UAE, Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Abu Dhabi has announced ground-breaking initiatives to supercharge the Emirate’s soaring ‘Falcon Economy’ by providing a supportive business environment that empowers the private sector to seize opportunities and reach their full potential. 

Ranked as the World’s Richest City, Abu Dhabi is home to US$1.7 trillion in sovereign wealth fund assets and enjoys the strongest sovereign credit rating in the GCC, providing investors with unparalleled access to finance and growth opportunities. The Emirate has also been ranked 1st in ease of doing business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said: “Our remarkable economic journey is driven by a determination to build a strong, resilient, sustainable, and diversified economy. We remain committed to proactively develop frameworks and plans to find innovative solutions to current and future challenges and build a better tomorrow for generations to come”. 

H.E. Al Zaabi added: “Our Initiatives bolster ease of doing business and empower tomorrow’s business leaders; and we are doubling down our efforts to equip young generations to explore opportunities, innovate, start, and grow businesses.”

The Abu Dhabi Registration and Licensing Authority (ADRA):

The Abu Dhabi Registration and Licensing Authority (ADRA), an arm of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) to develop and regulate the business sector, was launched to provide a centralised registry of all businesses across Abu Dhabi’s mainland and its non-financial economic free zones. It provides a single point for regulatory reporting, ensuring compliance of economic establishments with UAE and international regulations, and offers licensing, consumer, and commercial protection services across the mainland.

Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce New Roadmap:

The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (ADCCI), the voice of the private sector, has revealed a new roadmap for 2025–2028, to develop a prosperous, flexible, and diversified business ecosystem that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship in Abu Dhabi.

The roadmap focuses on fostering partnerships, linking companies to global markets, increasing business opportunities, advocating policies and empowering entrepreneurs and talents. ADCCI’s new roadmap for economic excellence is anchored by five core pillars- policy advocacy, market intelligence, ecosystem building, innovation, and market expansion- each playing a pivotal role in driving innovation, sustainability, and resilience.

ADCCI also launched the Abu Dhabi Family Business Council, to enhance its role in the socio-economic development by promoting sustainability, growth, and prosperity of family businesses, and ensuring their continuity across generations.

ADCCI unveiled its new brand identity, signalling a bold vision for the future and marking a strategic phase of progress.

New Entrepreneurship empowerment initiatives 

The new strategy for the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, dedicated to supporting small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) ensures the Fund continues to provide the right support, business-boosting measures and friendly ecosystems to empower SMEs.

Central to this strategy is the launch of MZN (Arabic word for rainy clouds) Hub, an innovative concept, which utilises AI-driven solutions, to ensure an integrated, cutting-edge ecosystem that provides entrepreneurs with bespoke resources and programmes, empowering them to enhance their capabilities, ensure the success of their ventures, and sustain their growth.

Backed by government investments, MZN Hub offers access to finance, comprehensive training, and tailored mentorship, designed to enable startups to flourish. The platform has three components- Venture Studios, Light Manufacturing, and Venture Capital to ensure support in different stages of business, from ideation to growth.

About ADDED:

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), the catalyst for economic growth and diversification, regulates the business sector in the Emirate and leads economic initiatives to achieve a knowledge-based, diversified, and sustainable economy. ADDED adopts best policies and practices based on the latest research and statistics, devotes its efforts to elevate the development and renaissance across various sectors, and prepares strategic programs and plans by adopting the best economic and administrative practices, applying the latest technology and drawing on global expertise.

ADDED strives to improve the investment climate in the Emirate by enhancing prospects for cooperation with strategic partners and ensure principles of innovation, transparency, and knowledge-sharing are followed to strengthening the business ecosystem to enhance Abu Dhabi as preferred destination for business and investments.

SOURCE Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development

TAIPEI, Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — GIGABYTE, the world’s leading computer brand, unveils groundbreaking AI innovations at CES 2025 with new AI-powered products, AI PCs, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 50 Series graphics cards, AMD B850 and Intel® B860 series motherboards, and OLED monitors. These products deliver high-performance, energy-efficient solutions for gaming, multitasking, and advancing accessible AI for all.

GIGABYTE’s new AI PCs, AORUS MASTER, GIGABYTE AERO, and GIGABYTE GAMING series are powered by NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 50 Series Laptop GPUs and NVIDIA® NIM microservices for advanced AI NIM and RTX™ AI, AMD Ryzen™ AI, Intel® NPU AI, and enhanced by Microsoft Copilot. These AI PCs feature GIGABYTE’s exclusive AI agent, GiMATE, built on advanced LLM technology. With its intuitive “Press and Speak” feature, GiMATE provides seamless hardware and software control, offering optimal settings for every scenario from battery life and gaming performance to acoustics, cooling, and even privacy protection.

Powered by NVIDIA® Blackwell, GeForce RTX™ 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX™ 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Multiply performance with NVIDIA® DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA® Studio. Plus, access NVIDIA® NIM microservices – state-of-the-art AI models that let enthusiasts and developers build AI assistants, agents, and workflows with peak performance on NIM-ready systems.

GIGABYTE’s GeForce RTX™ 50 Series graphics cards, powered by the NVIDIA® Blackwell architecture, have received upgraded cooling solutions to compliment the high performance of the GeForce  RTX™ 50 series GPU. The iconic WINDFORCE implements Hawk Fan with 12.5% increased airflow and server-grade thermal conductive gel while AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE all-in-one water-cooling model adopts the liquid metal thermal grease, maintaining optimal temperature and silent operation during demanding workloads. Models across premium AORUS XTREME and MASTER, GIGABYTE AERO, GAMING, EAGLE, WINDFORCE, and AMD Radeon™ RX 9000 series graphics cards debut.

The newly launched AORUS B860 series motherboards with D5 Bionic Corsa for boosting memory performance up to 9466MT/s with AI-enhanced technology; AORUS B850 series motherboards are built for AMD Ryzen™ 9000 X3D processors, offering exclusive X3D Turbo Mode to top up gaming performance up to 18%, along with the 27-inch QHD QD-OLED monitor AORUS FO27Q5P with the industry-leading 500Hz refresh rate and the groundbreaking 27-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitor MO27U2 both adopt AI-based panel protection. Furthermore, the AI TOP solution implements the Multi-Node Optimizer, which doubles the user’s fine-tuning batch size and efficiency through Intel® Thunderbolt™ 5 clustering with up to 5.4 times faster for local AI training.

GIGABYTE’s AI technology breaks limits again, with more to come in 2025. For more details, please visit GIGABYTE EVENT | 2025 CES at: https://bit.ly/GIGABYTE_CES_2025_AI_Branding, or join us offline at Booth #8505, LVCC North Hall, and the GIGABYTE Ballroom at Venetian Ballrooms Level 3 for media and VIPs.

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