80 per cent of ISACA survey respondents expect a cyberattack to hit their organisation this year, but many remain unprepared
New and evolving threats combined with persistent resource challenges limit organisations’ abilities to defend against cyber intrusions, according to the second installment of ISACA’s 2017 State of Cyber Security Study. Eighty per cent of the security leaders who participated in the survey believe it is likely their enterprise will experience a cyberattack this year, but many organisations are struggling to keep pace with the threat environment.
More than half (53%) of survey respondents reported a year-over-year increase in cyberattacks for 2016, representing a combination of changing threat entry points and types of threats:
- IoT overtook mobile as primary focus for cyber defenses as 97% of organisations see rise in its usage. As IoT becomes more prevalent in organisations, cyber security professionals need to ensure protocols are in place to safeguard new threat entry points.
- Sixty-two per cent reported experiencing ransomware in 2016 but only 53% have a formal process in place to address it—a concerning number given the significant international impact of the recent WannaCry ransomware attack.
- Malicious attacks that can impair an organisation’s operations or user data remain high in general (78% of organisations reporting attacks).
Additionally, fewer than 1 in 3 organisations (31%) say they routinely test their security controls, and 13% never test them. Sixteen per cent do not have an incident response plan.
“There is a significant and concerning gap between the threats an organisation faces and its readiness to address those threats in a timely or effective manner,” said Christos Dimitriadis, Ph.D., CISA, CISM, ISACA board chair and group head of information security at INTRALOT. “Cyber security professionals face huge demands to secure organisational infrastructure, and teams need to be properly trained, resourced and prepared.”
The Cyber Security Resource Problem
This year’s survey respondents indicated that, while cyber security is a priority for enterprise leadership, roadblocks facing cyber security professionals remain.
The good news: more organisations than ever now employ a chief information security officer—65 per cent, up from 50 per cent in 2016. However, security leaders continue to struggle to fill open cyber security positions, as part 1 of this year’s State of Cyber Security report indicated, and nearly half (48%) of respondents don’t feel comfortable with their cyber team’s ability to address anything beyond simple cyber security issues. Additionally, more than half of all respondents say cyber security professionals lack an ability to understand the business.
Though training is critically needed to address these skill shortages, 1 in 4 organisations have training budgets of less than US $1,000 per cyber security team member. While overall cyber security budgets remain strong, fewer organisations are increasing their budgets this year. About half will see budget increases, down from 61% in 2016.
“The rise of CISOs in organisations demonstrates a growing leadership commitment to securing the enterprise, which is an encouraging sign,” said Dimitriadis. “But that’s not a cure-all. With the number of malicious attacks increasing, organisations can’t afford a resource slowdown. Yet with so many respondents showing a lack of confidence in their teams’ ability to address complex issues, we know there is more that must be done to address the urgent cyber security challenges faced by all enterprises.”
ISACA’s State of Cyber Security Study 2017 is available as a free download at www.isaca.org/state-of-cyber-security-2017. Part I covers workforce issues, and part II addresses the threat landscape. This report is the latest resource from ISACA’s Cybersecurity Nexus (CSX), which provides knowledge, skills-based training and performance-based certifications, and career guidance for cyber security professionals and those looking to build cyber security skills.
About ISACA
Nearing its 50th year, ISACA (isaca.org) is a global association helping individuals and enterprises achieve the positive potential of technology. Today’s world is powered by technology, and ISACA equips professionals with the knowledge, credentials, education and community to advance their careers and transform their organisations. ISACA leverages the expertise of its half-million engaged professionals in information and cyber security, governance, assurance, risk and innovation, as well as its enterprise performance subsidiary, CMMI Institute, to help advance innovation through technology. ISACA has a presence in more than 188 countries, including more than 215 chapters and offices in both the United States and China.
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