FEATURE : CYBERSECURITY
72 % OF UK ORGANISATIONS REPORTED EXPERIENCING RANSOMWARE INCIDENTS DURING HOLIDAYS AND WEEKENDS WHEN SECURITY TEAMS AREN ’ T WORKING AT FULL CAPACITY .
‘ Round the clock ’ security teams operate at only 25 % capacity
Despite the on-going risk , over half ( 52 %) of UK businesses admitted their SOC is only partially staffed on bank holidays and weekends . One-in-20 don ’ t staff their SOC at all during those times . Two-fifths ( 42 %) of UK respondents who claimed to maintain a 24 / 7 / 365 SOC said it only operates at 25 % capacity . With fewer eyes on the network traffic and less attention to suspicious activity , hackers can slip in unnoticed – leaving organisations wide open to cyberattacks .
The impact of this is clear in high-profile cyberattacks designed to hurt businesses and their customers as much as possible . In the US , the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack caused widespread fuel shortages and hit on Mother ’ s Day , while in the UK , the 2023 attack on payroll provide , Zellis , unfolded over a weekend affecting tens of thousands of British Airways , Boots and BBC staff . The recent Transport for London ( TfL ) hack , which highlighted the growing threat of cyberattacks on public infrastructure , started on a Sunday .
“ Cyberthreats don ’ t take a holiday ,” said Dan Lattimer , Area Vice President , Semperis . “ In fact , attackers are exploiting quieter times when they know they may be more successful – using periods of understaffed security operations to their advantage . Our research report is an urgent wake-up call that you can never take your eye off the ball ; the threat to business , critical infrastructure and consumers is constant .”
Work-life balance more important than cyberdefence
Asked why their organisation scaled back IT and security staffing at weekends and during holidays , a third ( 34 %) of UK respondents said they ‘ did not think full staffing was necessary considering most
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