The increase in data breaches and cyberattacks has made these incidents more visible than ever before. Organizations are no longer able to hide these events by waiting until late Friday afternoons to disclose them, as they did in the past. This heightened focus on cyber threats is causing IT and security decision makers to reassess their enterprise security strategy and invest more in tools and services to protect their organizations.
While many organizations have deployed a wide range of security tools to address cyber threats, the results of Dark Reading’s Strategic Security Survey indicate that there is still considerable concern about the ability to withstand attacks. Despite implementing processes such as multi-factor authentication, malware analysis capabilities, and end-user security awareness training programs, a high percentage of respondents doubt the effectiveness of these measures. In fact, 63% of survey participants are confident in their ability to respond effectively to a ransomware attack, but 55% believe that their organizations are more vulnerable to data breaches compared to a year ago.
The survey also found that 58% of organizations are now more concerned about ransomware than they were a year ago, and 78% believe that cloud service providers will be increasingly targeted by adversaries in the coming year. Additionally, 25% of respondents expect that a major breach at their organization in the next 12 months will likely be caused by an automated malware tool.
Looking ahead, end users continue to be a major concern for organizations. Over a third of respondents believe that the primary cause of their organization’s next major data breach in the coming year will be a negligent end user or an end user who breaks security policy. Furthermore, almost a quarter expect it to be the result of a super elusive social engineering scam, and 15% are concerned about the heavy reliance on remote systems and homeworkers within their organizations. Additionally, 10% of respondents feel that end-user security awareness programs are ineffective.
Despite these concerns, organizations face significant challenges in policy enforcement and managing the complexity associated with modern security threats. Thirty-one percent of organizations struggle to enforce security policies, while an equal proportion are finding it difficult to manage the complexity of security threats.
The results of the Dark Reading survey highlight the ongoing struggles that organizations face in addressing cyber threats and the need for continued investment in security measures. As cybercriminals become increasingly sophisticated and organizations rely more on digital technology, the importance of a robust and effective security strategy cannot be overstated.