Two thirds of companies think they may have been targets of a nation-state cyberattack

New research from Venafi into the rise of nation-state cyberattacks and their links to geopolitics has revealed that two-thirds (64 percent) of security decision-makers suspect that their organization has been directly targeted or impacted by a nation state attack.

In addition, 77 percent believe we're in a perpetual state of cyberwar, while 66 percent of companies say they have changed their security strategy as a direct response to the war in Ukraine.

The study of over 1,100 decision makers globally shows 82 percent now believe geopolitics and cybersecurity are intrinsically linked, and 68 percent have had more conversations with their board and senior management in response to the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

Worryingly 63 percent doubt if they'd ever know if their organization was hacked by a nation-state, while 64 percent think the threat of physical war is a greater concern in their country than cyberwar.

"Cyberwar is here. It doesn't look like the way some people may have imagined that it would, but security professionals understand that any business can be damaged by nation-states. The reality is that geopolitics and kinetic warfare now must inform cybersecurity strategy," says Kevin Bocek, vice president, security strategy and threat intelligence at Venafi. "We've known for years that state-backed APT groups are using cybercrime to advance their nations' wider political and economic goals. Everyone is a target, and unlike a kinetic warfare attack, only you can defend your business against nation-state cyberattacks. There is no cyber-Iron Dome or cyber-NORAD. Every CEO and board must recognize that cybersecurity is one of the top three business risks for everyone, regardless of industry."

Venafi’s research into the methods used by nation-state threat actors shows the use of machine identities is growing in state-sponsored cyberattacks. The digital certificates and cryptographic keys that serve as machine identities are the foundation of security for all secure digital transactions.

You can read more about the findings on the Venafi blog.

Image credit: peshkov/depositphotos.com