TRENDING
Over half of ( 59 %) of Australian organizations report that COVID-19 has accelerated their Digital Transformation efforts by at least six months .
organizations when there is no other option but to pay the ransom .
• Over two-thirds ( 67 %) of Australian organizations have suffered a ransomware attack in the last 12 months , compared to a global average of 57 %.
• One-third ( 33 %) of those subjected to a ransomware attack paid the ransom . This is higher than any other country in the Asia Pacific surveyed and far more than the global average ( 27 %). Moreover , 36 % of Australian organizations also attempted to negotiate with the attackers .
• Of those that paid , the average amount was A $ 1.25 million ( US $ 890,000 ). This is slightly lower than the global average pay out of A $ 1.55 million ( US $ 1.1 million ).
• The top three types of cyberattack causing the greatest concern for IT security professionals in Australia are ransomware ( 56 %), general malware ( 50 %) and phishing ( 42 %).
The need for both Digital Transformation and security transformation : In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic , the shift to remote work and the shifting of digital strategies have shed light on the critical importance of layering security transformation into your Digital Transformation strategies .
• Over half ( 59 %) of organizations have accelerated Digital Transformation by at least six months as a result of COVID-19 .
• 74 % of respondents indicate that COVID has proven to be a catalyst for long-awaited approvals on security upgrades .
• 60 % said that their existing Digital Transformation plans did not take into account disruptive events such as COVID-19 .
• On average , respondents report that their organization has spent A $ 8.44 million ( US $ 5.99 million ) on Digital Transformation over the past three years ( above the global average of US $ 4.86 million / A $ 6.85 million ).
• An average of 10.67 % ( US $ 703,165 / A $ 991,000 ) of Digital Transformation spend is on cybersecurity .
• Spending on security tools has accelerated dramatically in 39 % of organizations .
• Spending on cloud technology has accelerated dramatically in 41 % of organizations .
The changing cybersecurity landscape : Are organizations improving their response time ?
Nation-states present a huge threat regionally : Now , more than ever , nation-state actors seem to be more motivated to target organizations in a variety of industries , from all over the world .
• Over half ( 54 %) of Australian security professionals think a nation-state attack on their organization would be motivated by financial gain , while 49 % believe nation-state attackers would aim to take advantage of vulnerabilities caused by COVID-19 .
• Australian IT professionals worry about nation-state attacks from China the most ( 45 %), followed by Russia ( 15 %) then North Korea ( 8 %).
• More than eight in 10 ( 82 %) believe cyberattacks sponsored by Russia and China pose a clear and present danger to organizations in Australia .
• 88 % think growing international tensions are likely to result in a considerable increase in cyberthreats for organizations .
• 71 % think nation-state sponsored attacks will pose the single biggest threat to organizations like theirs in 2021 .
• Interestingly , 83 % said their organization cannot rule out being the target of a nation-state sponsored attack by any government , including their own .
Have organizations , over the course of the past year , moved any closer to the 1-10-60 ideal for detecting and containing a threat on their network ?
• Australian organizations take 140 hours ( decreased from 186 hours in 2019 ) to detect a cybersecurity incident , which is well over the global average of 117 hours but a ( global average was 120 in 2019 )
• A focus more on prevention and perimeter security , rather than detection , is the major challenge preventing Australian organizations from detecting cybersecurity intrusions sooner ( well ahead of dealing with legacy infrastructure at 31 %).
• One in three Australian respondents say they lack the skills to properly investigate or mitigate cyberattacks and 38 % say that detecting an intrusion during the past 12 months took too long .
• 58 % of respondents say they hired at least six cybersecurity professionals in the past year with 61 % finding it more difficult now than 12 months ago to hire cybersecurity professionals .
• 44 % find it easier to outsource cybersecurity talent rather than directly hire with 35 % saying there is insufficient talent available in the market with demand higher than supply . p
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