IT Pros on Security: The Good, Bad and Scary
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IT Pros on Security: The Good, Bad and Scary
Many security pros say cyber-attacks can be identified and deflected at their organizations, yet they also say the threat of attacks is escalating. -
Feeling Safe
50% of respondents said they would have considered their organizations very or extremely vulnerable three years ago. Currently, only 27% believe their organizations are very or extremely vulnerable. -
Government Participation
86% believe that cooperation between government agencies and private companies for infrastructure protection is critical for a successful cyber-defense while 68% believe their own government can be a valuable partner in cyber-security. -
Top Obstacles
The top three obstacles to greater public-private cooperation are a lack of budget, different approaches to cyber-attacks and a lack of other resources. -
A Call for More Partnerships
Respondents consider cooperation with their own government (76%), other similar organizations (74%) and other governments (70%) important. -
Troubling Stats
48% believe it is likely that a cyber-attack will take down critical infrastructure with the potential loss of life within the next three years. -
Good Security
However, 64% of respondents believe an attack resulting in fatalities has not yet happened because good IT security is in place. -
Satisfactory Performance
84% of respondents are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the performance of their endpoint protection as well as network firewalls (84%) and secure Web gateways (85%). -
Confidence Rules
Nearly 75% of respondents are confident or extremely confident in their organization's ability to identify cyber-attacks while 68% are confident in their ability to mitigate attacks and 65% are confident that they can deflect them. -
Escalating Threats
72% said the threat level of cyber-attacks was escalating while only 4% think they are declining. -
Growing Attacks
89% of respondents experienced at least one attack on secure systems over the past year, with a median of close to 20 attacks per year. -
Confirmed Damage
More than 59% of confirmed cyber-attacks resulted in physical damage, service disruption (more than 33%) and data compromise (more than 25%). -
National Defense
76% of respondents believe a national defense force should respond when a cyber-attack damages a critical infrastructure company in national borders.
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Why Metrics Matter to the Channel Many IT and security professionals express confidence about the results of their efforts to improve their firms' cyber-security over the past three years, but more than seven in 10 said the threat level of attacks is escalating, according to a recent survey, released by The Aspen Institute and Intel Security. The study, conducted by Vanson Bourne, is based on interviews with 625 IT and security professionals at critical infrastructure organizations, including finance, energy, transport and government in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Nearly half the respondents believe a cyber-attack will take down critical infrastructure with the potential loss of life within the next three years. Yet the majority believes an attack resulting in fatalities has not happened yet because good IT security is in place. These and other findings suggest a potential disconnect between critical infrastructure providers and the current threat landscape, reports Aspen. Here are 12 key takeaways from the study.