Identity lapses expose cyber risks in Middle East

As cyberwarfare intensifies in Israel and the Mediterranean, identity security has emerged as a critical weakness across organizations in the region, according to a new CXO Priorities survey conducted with Okta, Intelligent CISO reports.

The study reveals that 39% of respondents have already faced politically motivated cyberattacks, with nearly half admitting their current identity systems are only moderately or entirely ineffective. Despite the rise of Zero Trust as a cybersecurity standard, adoption remains low, hindered by legacy systems, cultural resistance, and limited internal backing. Oktas identity-first security model offers continuous verification and centralized access control, helping to counter blind spots in complex cloud environments. AI is also seen as a key future trend, but organizations lack the data quality needed to use it effectively, which is an issue Okta addresses with adaptive, behavior-based authentication. As 42% of IT leaders prioritize seamless user experience, and budgets remain divided, the survey underscores the urgent need for identity systems that balance security, usability, and resilience.