According to new data from VMware Carbon Black, the sophistication and impact of modern cyberattacks is causing CISOs to rethink how to secure the expanding attack surface.
There’s a tremendous amount of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) that naturally surrounds news of cyberattacks; it’s all doom and gloom and rarely, if ever, rainbows and sunshine. So, it’s sometimes difficult for organizations to determine what’s really happening out there and what’s more hype.
This is one of the reasons I cover report data so often here on our blog; reports like VMware Carbon Black’s Global Security Insights Report 2021 cuts through the hype and provides real insight into what over 3000 CISOs are experiencing and are expecting next.
According to the report, the bad guys are getting more aggressive, more talented and more successful:
- 76% of CISOs said the number of attacks they face has increased in the past year
- 79% said attacks have become more sophisticated
- 81% have suffered a breach, with an average of 2.35 breaches experienced per organization
- 82% said they have suffered a material breach
CISOs attribute third-party apps as the top cause of breach (at only 14%). What’s interesting is they stated (as positioned in the title of this article) that employees working from home has caused an increase in attacks.
Hmmm… perhaps there’s a correlation that’s missing here. The report mentioned ransomware as the second top breach, with out-of-date security tech and process weaknesses tied for third place. So, where are users in this discussion?
I know that CISOs are focused on information (and much of the report discusses how CISOs want better visibility into data), but your information is safe if the bad guy can never get in. If remote employees are a factor, it’s likely those very same 3000+ CISOs need to have Security Awareness Training implemented within their organizations to improve the user security before you worry about data security.
New-school Security Awareness Training is critical to enabling you and your IT staff to connect with users and help them make the right security decisions all of the time. This isn't a one and done deal, continuous training and simulated phishing are both needed to mobilize users as your last line of defense. Request your one-on-one demo of KnowBe4's security awareness training and simulated phishing platform and see how easy it can be!
