Cybersecurity threats escalate with human mistakes remaining a significant weak point
In a recent report, Kaspersky has shed light on the cybersecurity landscape in Turkey and the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region. The study, titled "Cybersecurity at Work: Employee Knowledge and Behaviour," reveals that 52.1% of professionals who use computers at work in the META region believe their organizations face a high risk of cybersecurity incidents, underscoring human error as a significant vulnerability factor.
The report also reveals that employee awareness remains a key challenge in Turkey's cybersecurity landscape. Only 26.3% of employees view cybersecurity as a responsibility that should be shared across the entire organization, indicating a need for improved employee cybersecurity awareness and behaviour to mitigate risks.
However, the report does not delve into the specifics of AI's role in preventing cyber threats. Nevertheless, industry insights from 2025 suggest that AI integration is becoming critical for proactive and predictive threat prevention. AI and machine learning are enabling real-time identification and prevention of cyber threats, helping organizations move from reactive to proactive security postures.
In Turkey, the need for improved cybersecurity is evident. According to the report, 29.8% of Turkish participants reported that their organization had suffered a cyber incident in the past year. This statistic, coupled with the fact that 64% of professionals in Türkiye believe their organization faces a high risk of a cybersecurity incident, highlights the urgent need for action.
One such action is the investment made by Boğaziçi Ventures, a leading Turkish venture capital firm, in South Korean mobile game developer IDaNote. This investment underscores the growing interest in cybersecurity solutions, as another startup selected by InvenDO Up, a startup acceleration program, is Primod, a cybersecurity startup that develops products capable of integrating into multilayered cloud infrastructures, scanning for vulnerabilities in cloud environments, and monitoring threats in real time.
Another startup selected by InvenDO Up is ApyGuard, which focuses on API protection using AI-powered analytics. SpaceFlow, an AI-powered platform that accelerates and simplifies the participation process for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in public tenders, was also chosen.
In the realm of e-commerce, Pazarama, a Turkish platform, has launched an AI-powered voice product summaries feature. This feature, offered in 30 distinct AI-generated voices, aims to make online shopping more accessible, especially for visually impaired individuals, elderly users, or those with reading difficulties. The voice summaries deliver clear, relevant insights in natural language, resulting in a more engaging and informative experience than standard product descriptions.
In conclusion, Kaspersky's report highlights that employee awareness remains a key challenge in Turkey's cybersecurity landscape while AI is poised to play a vital role in enhancing organizational defenses against cyber threats through advanced, anticipatory technologies. The investments made by venture capital firms like Boğaziçi Ventures and the startups selected by InvenDO Up underscore the growing importance of cybersecurity solutions in Turkey and the META region.
- Despite Kaspersky's report focusing on human error as a significant vulnerability factor in the cybersecurity landscape of the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region, AI integration is becoming crucial for proactive threat prevention, as per 2025 industry insights.
- In Turkey, the need for improved cybersecurity is apparent, with 29.8% of Turkish participants reporting that their organization had suffered a cyber incident in the past year, and 64% of professionals believing their organization faces a high risk of a cybersecurity incident.
- To address the urgency in Turkey, venture capital firms like Bogazici Ventures are investing in cybersecurity solutions, such as the South Korean mobile game developer IDaNote, signifying a growing interest in these solutions.
- In addition, startups like Primod, ApyGuard, and SpaceFlow, selected by InvenDO Up, are developing cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies designed to integrate into various systems, scan for vulnerabilities, monitor threats in real-time, and provide API protection.
- In the realm of e-commerce, Pazarama, a Turkish platform, has introduced an AI-powered voice product summaries feature, making online shopping more accessible for visually impaired individuals, elderly users, or those with reading difficulties.
- Accordng to the report, employee awareness remains a key challenge in Turkey's cybersecurity landscape, and AI is expected to play a vital role in enhancing organizational defenses against cyber threats through advanced, anticipatory technologies in the future.
