How Technology Can Hold You Hostage
It is a known fact that cyber attacks are continuing to grow in number each year and becoming more sophisticated than anyone could have imagined. But the more alarming fact is that these attacks are now a greater threat to countries worldwide than physical attacks. The Global Advanced Threat Landscape Survey conducted by Cyber Ark reveled that nearly 80 percent of more than 900 executives and IT professionals polled from around the world believe that their nations are at greater risk from cyber attacks than from physical attacks.
Speaking about these threats, Cyber Ark CMO John Worrall said that businesses are now realizing the importance of these threats, and that their concern reflects the concerns of the government about these threats. Moreover, the visibility of network attacks has increased thanks to the publicity about cyber attacks connected with China, recent reports about potential attacks on the nation’s critical infrastructure, and the speeches of government and military officials about cyber security threats.
All this has led to a growing awareness amongst IT executives and organizations around the world, although many are yet to understand the magnitude of the threat. While on the one hand this awareness can be attributed to public reports, on the other, such awareness is also born out of pain from experiencing the threat. The Cyber Ark study also revealed that many businesses have firsthand knowledge of the risks of cyber attacks, and out of the participants in the survey, 51 percent believe that a cyber attacker is currently residing on their systems, or has done so during the past year.
Although what people believe may be different from the actual fact, and perceptions expressed during the survey may have been influenced by fevered media coverage of the subject in the recent past, according to security professionals, the undeniable truth is that the risks are real, and the imminent risk of cyber attack is potentially greater than a physical attack. Therefore, organizations now have a good reason to worry about cyber attacks, because in cyber warfare and terrorism, those corporations that support critical infrastructure, may be viewed by attackers as a path to disruption and destruction.
So organizations worldwide have the responsibility to shore up cyber defenses and prevent such attacks from taking place. Survey researchers found that 61 percent of the respondents were of the opinion that the government could step in to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure from advanced cyber threats through incentive programs, tax credits, and liability protections. This would encourage businesses to bolster their security measures. But most of all, a comprehensive security platform such as Aegify Security Posture Management or Aegify SecureGRC can prove extremely beneficial in today’s scenario. It can strengthen the security posture of organizations and prevent cyber attacks with powerful security monitoring and reporting capabilities, thus seamlessly addressing cyber threats and completely mitigating risks before it is too late.
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