TRENDING
“
ONE IN FIVE
IT MANAGERS
SURVEYED
DIDN’T KNOW
HOW THEY WERE
BREACHED AND
THE DIVERSITY OF
ATTACK METHODS
MEANS NO ONE
DEFENSIVE
STRATEGY IS A
SILVER BULLET.
example, 53% of those who fell victim to a
cyberattack were hit by a phishing email and
30% by ransomware. Forty-one percent said
they suffered a data breach.
Weak links in security increasingly
lead to supply chain compromises
Based on the responses, it’s not surprising
that 75% of IT managers consider software
exploits, unpatched vulnerabilities and/or
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INTELLIGENTCIO
states may have created the blueprints for
these attacks, once these techniques are
publicised, other cybercriminals often adopt
them for their ingenuity and high success
rate,” said Wisniewski. “Supply chain attacks
are also an effective way for cybercriminals
to carry out automated, active attacks where
they select a victim from a larger pool of
prospects and then actively hack into that
specific organisation using hand-to-keyboard
techniques and lateral movements to evade
detection and reach their destination.”
Lack of security expertise, budget
and up to date technology
Chester Wisniewski, Principal Research
Scientist, Sophos
zero-day threats as a top security risk. Fifty
percent consider phishing a top security
risk. Alarmingly, only 16% of IT managers
consider supply chain a top security risk,
exposing an additional weak spot that
cybercriminals will likely add to their
repertoire of attack vectors.
“Cybercriminals are always looking for
a way into an organisation and supply
chain attacks are ranking higher now on
their list of methods. IT managers should
prioritise supply chain as a security risk,
but don’t because they consider these
attacks perpetrated by nation states on high
profile targets. While it is true that nation
According to the Sophos survey, IT managers
reported that 26% of their team’s time is
spent managing security, on average. Yet, 86%
agree security expertise could be improved
and 80% want a stronger team in place to
detect, investigate and respond to security
incidents. Recruiting talent is also an issue, with
79% saying that recruiting people with the
cybersecurity skills they need a challenge.
Regarding budget, 66% said their
organisation’s cybersecurity budget
(including people and technology) is
below what it needs to be. Having current
technology in place is another problem,
with 75% agreeing that staying up to
date with cybersecurity technology is a
challenge for their organisation. This lack
of security expertise, budget and up to
date technology indicates IT managers are
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