Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 13 | Page 21

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// TRENDING RESEARCH FINDS BUSINESSES ARE VULNERABLE TO CYBERATTACKS BECAUSE OF EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOUR A new report from A10 shows how employees often unknowingly weaken cybersecurity and use unsanctioned apps. With poor understanding of corporate security policies, the report says, this behaviour increases the risks that come with a growing reliance on disparate and app-dependent workforces. T he role of IT in defending against cyber attacks is more difficult than ever, with more sophisticated attacks on the rise and, in some cases, attackers infiltrating corporate networks without IT departments knowing. But even more concerning to IT departments in defending against attacks is the lack of willingness by employees to take precautionary steps against them, according to the latest results from the A10 Networks’ Application Intelligence Report (AIR). The A10 AIR report examines the interaction with applications and the growing security implications that result www.intelligentcio.com for businesses. AIR previously examined the rise in use of apps in our ‘blended lives’ blurring lines between work and personal business through use of apps at home and in the office. The most recent report looks at the consumer impact of apps in the workforce and addresses the challenges of IT decision makers who are faced with the rise and complexity of cyber attacks, and the sometimes careless attitudes of employees who unwittingly introduce new threats to their businesses. This data is even more disturbing as 48% of IT leaders believe their employees do not care about following security practices. Frequency of known – and unknown – cybersecurity attacks The report also interviewed IT decision makers about their efforts to defend their corporate networks, users and applications against cybersecurity attacks, finding that 47% said their company has suffered a data breach at least once. When it comes to DDoS attacks 38% say their company has suffered an attack at least once over the past 12 months, with another 9% not aware if they’ve been attacked or not. When projected across the entire industry, this presents an ominous trend, as nearly half of IT professionals have either been a victim of a DDoS attack or don’t know yet if they have been. INTELLIGENTCIO 21