How are senior IT leaders and cybersecurity executives responding to the rapidly changing cybersecurity threat landscape? A survey of 50 industry decision makers by Technical monitor in partnership with Intel shows how the industry appears well prepared but has room for improvement in making it easier to train employees to respond to an increasingly busy cyber landscape.
The increase in the number of cyber attacks against all types of organizations since the beginning of 2020 has been well documented, and the study shows how this trend will continue. More than 45% of respondents agreed that the frequency of cyberattacks has increased since the pandemic, with almost a quarter (24%) of respondents describing a drastic change in their threat landscape.
Amid increasing cyberattacks, more than two-thirds of IT leaders also believe that the increasing complexity of cybersecurity threats facing organizations is the most pressing concern, and it’s not hard to see why.
Last month, cybersecurity researchers at Mitiiga uncovered a new phishing campaign that allows hackers to impersonate executives using a flaw in Microsoft’s Office 365 productivity suite. Hacking groups have also reportedly developed a new graphical user interface for deploying ransomware across multiple operating systems, according to cybersecurity firm Kasperksy last month.
Closing the skills gap and improving staff awareness of cybersecurity was also important to technology and IT leaders, with 74% of respondents citing the issue as an urgent concern. Graham Hunter, vice president of skills at CompTIA, has previously made the case for upskilling staff as a core part of any organization’s cybersecurity, alongside investment in hard technology solutions to respond to an increasingly congested threat environment.
There is strong evidence that IT leaders have done just that. Almost three-quarters of those surveyed said they have expanded cybersecurity training for their staff as a result of the increase in telecommuting, something that is unlikely to change in the near future. A clear majority also said their organizations invested in new endpoint security systems as well as threat intelligence capabilities.
This increased investment in cybersecurity technology is reflected in respondents’ overall IT stack, with 64% saying it is evenly split between hardware and software products. However, there is room for improvement, as only 36% of respondents expressed strong confidence in their current stack capabilities to respond to cyber attacks in the future.
Intel vPro® and 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors include multi-layered protection that helps reduce the computer’s attack surface and supports active monitoring against attacks without degrading performance due to performance loss. Exclusive Intel vPro features Intel® Hardware Shield providing integrated hardware-based PC protections for more secure business productivity, including:
- Advanced threat protections – detection of threats such as ransomware and cryptojacking;
- Application and data protection – prevent traditional malware attacks against applications, login credentials and data;
- Security under the OS – preventing attacks against firmware and applications through the BIOS.
Learn more about the full capabilities of Intel vPro here.
