Professionals skeptical about cybersecurity vendor claims

A new survey of almost 300 IT security professionals in large enterprises finds 53 percent of respondents say most or all cybersecurity vendors rely on unclear, opaque, and ambiguous data to promote their products.

In addition the study from Valimail, a provider of identity-based anti-phishing solutions, finds 42 percent of respondents say cybersecurity products deliver value 'sometimes,' but it is difficult or impossible to prove that value.

Not only that, 44 percent of respondents say 'most or all vendors obfuscate their tech' and 47 percent say that vendors deliver on their obligations only half of the time or less. There is also concern over a lack of visibility into the future of products and how they will still be relevant in a continuously evolving cybersecurity landscape, with 49 percent saying vendors share little to no reliable information about product roadmaps.

"Through in-depth conversations with our customers, we sensed a growing and widespread frustration with the majority of cybersecurity vendors out there," says David Appelbaum, chief marketing officer at Valimail. "That is why we decided to conduct this research -- to highlight this problem and call on our peers and colleagues to help change the face of cybersecurity for the better. This includes eliminating jargon, stating plainly what customers are buying and what results they can expect, and working with them to ensure those results are realized. The bottom line is that the industry is not keeping pace with the bad guys -- and that is bad for everyone. At Valimail, we have always strived for clarity, transparency, and customer satisfaction - along with a guaranteed outcome: DMARC enforcement."

Based on the research findings, the promise of DMARC enforcement is a critical one, as 72 percent of respondents say they are very or extremely concerned about email-based threats, which remain the leading attack vector for all breaches. Additionally, 48 percent indicate they are very or extremely likely to buy a product that promises to combat business email compromise (BEC) attacks, a problem that DMARC significantly reduces.

You can get the full report from the Valimail site.

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