Cybersecurity survey reveals grim outlook
A majority of companies continue to fear the devastation online security breaches can inflict on their business. A recent study conducted by traffic intelligence and analytics firm Narus revealed greater awareness of these attacks is considered ideal moving forward.
Of the organizations surveyed by the firm, more than 55 percent said they are fearful that their infrastructure cannot withstand cyberattacks. Nearly 94 percent said the number of online security attacks are on the rise.
"While the cyber world has brought about incredible conveniences in business and everyday life alike, it remains an untamed frontier, rife with its own brand of crime that ultimately compromises a quality of life and data that is now wholly dependent on the internet," Narus said. "Critical infrastructures that support banking, finance, healthcare, utilities and government are just a few that are vulnerable to attack, and without them entire nations can be devastated."
The government, in particular, is under increased pressure to protect against outside threats. However, 85 percent of organizations surveyed said they do not have faith in their ability to protect their networks.
"Still, many of these networks are guarded by siloed and non-integrated solutions that, alone, cannot hope to outwit sophisticated cyber attacks, let alone deliver cyber situational awareness that is necessary for the protection of critical infrastructures," the firm stated. "These unprotected networks are literally inviting cyber mayhem, and the livelihood and security of the world's citizens hangs in the balance."
The study also found that businesses' inability to detect confidential information, malware and viruses and social media breaches were among the top concerns of those polled. To protect their infrastructure against such incidents, nearly 80 percent of companies said they need solutions that offer real-time analysis and detection of botnets and advanced persistent threats.
Along with the rise in security fears, budgets are expected to increase this year, as well, according to a recent study by IT nonprofit CompTIA. Of the IT professionals surveyed, 83 percent said cyberattacks are growing and 80 percent said their spending to protect their interests will expand in 2012.
The CompTIA study noted that the growth of cloud, mobile and big data computing is putting more data at risk than ever. The organization's vice president Tim Herbert said each of these technologies, are "chipping away" at one another, exposing even more vulnerabilities.
