Attack by cyber terrorists feared by 63 percent of US security professionals

Key concerns of information security executives include the growing threats of global cyber terrorism, the current state of security within the US and the ability of organizations to prevent such attacks.

These are among the findings of a new study by account management solutions provider Thycotic of more than 200 security industry attendees at RSA.

Cyber terrorism needs to be be taken more seriously as 63 percent of respondents feel terrorists are capable of launching a catastrophic cyber-attack on the US within one year. In addition, 92 percent of respondents believe that a majority of US companies either need more security or are behind the security curve in their ability to defend against cyber terrorism attacks.

"Some may say the whole discussion surrounding the threats associated with cyber terrorism is hyped; however, our findings show that 72 percent actually feel that the topic isn't hyped enough and that more needs to be done to protect companies and country as a whole from these types of vulnerabilities," says Jonathan Cogley, founder and CTO at Thycotic. "Re-examining the type of security technology used to protect both the US government and private sectors is essential to keeping our country safe".

There's a fairly even split on whether public or private sector systems are more at risk, 50 percent of respondents believe US private companies are more vulnerable than government agencies, while 42 percent believe the government is more vulnerable. An overwhelming 89 percent of survey respondents believe that both the military and businesses need to focus more on developing capabilities to defend against terrorist inspired cyber attacks.

You can find out more about the results on the Thycotic blog or register for an upcoming webinar which will discuss the findings.

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