TRENDING
ranked highest as at least somewhat challenging by respondents : ( total challenging figures in brackets )
• Detecting or identifying the occurrence of a cybersecurity event or threat – 56 % ( 85 %)
• Third-parties disclosing breaches in good time – 55 % ( 85 %)
• Understanding and anticipating new or potential future strategies used by threat actors – 55 % ( 84 %)
• Ensuring that the entire supply chain is water-tight in its ability to defend and recover against threat actors – 52 % ( 83 %)
Juggling cybersecurity priorities
Not only do organisations feel they are chasing their next cyber strategy , but they are struggling to deliver on the one they have now . CISOs highlighted the following key priorities over the next 12 months :
• The cyber skills gap within organisations is the highest strategic priority ( 31 %). This has been a perpetual problem facing the IT industry and cybersecurity teams can become quickly overwhelmed if the right expertise isn ’ t in place to manage the load . The effects of this can be devastating , creating risk vectors that can be exploited and may lead to human error under pressure , or a missed threat . Rather than hunting new people , the gap could in part be addressed by putting more resources into training and upskilling , but this is difficult when team capacity is already stretched .
• The next most important priority highlighted by CISOs is the challenge of gaining consistent and reliable ‘ threat intelligence ’ ( 28 %), with many reporting they rely on informal information sharing networks .
• Securing digital identity ( 27 %) was also identified as key given the risks posed by hackers gaining credentials and impersonating users to access data and systems .
“ The picture painted by our research shows CISOs are in urgent need of a strategic rethink ,” said Stuart Jubb , Group Managing Director at Crossword Cybersecurity plc . “ CISOs need to balance their cybersecurity operation ’ s daily load with managing the organisation ’ s long-term requirements . Boards must make sure CISOs have the budget necessary to get short-term issues under control and then begin planning a long-term business-wide strategy . Such a strategy should be supported by a standard operating model with robust processes and policies for the company ’ s entire supply chain . Every month of delay leaves businesses open to potentially crippling cyberattacks .”
The tech trends that matter to cyber professionals
CISOs were also asked about the technology trends they saw as being the most important and relevant over the next 12 months . Several technology categories stood out with cloud transition and cyber in the cloud leading the way ( 41 %), followed by Cyber
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