Enterprises need to adapt security measures to cope with changing threats

With cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated, organizations face new challenges in safeguarding their digital assets. A new report from Info-Tech Research Group looks at the issues IT and security leaders must prioritize over the coming year.

It highlights the need to take account of the cybersecurity talent shortage, the rise of AI-driven threats, the integration of security risks with business risks, the adoption of zero-trust frameworks, and the increasing significance of automating security operations.

"The threat landscape has been exacerbated by the various emerging attack vectors, such as credential-compromise attacks and cloud exploitation. The increase in supply chain risks and rise in deepfakes also showcase the shift of threat actors to improve the sophistication of their attacks," says Ahmad Jowhar, research analyst and lead author of the report. "The rising costs of ransomware and cyber insurance premiums coupled with the continuous talent shortage depicts the challenges of efficiently fighting against these threats."

A continuing skills shortage remains an issue as respondents rate the difficulty of hiring enough security professionals to meet demands at an average concern level of 3.32 out of five. AI is also a concern, with 40 percent of organizations saying they don't have AI governance in place.

The report also emphasizes the adoption of zero trust frameworks as an effective measure to enhance an organization's security posture and align with its business objectives. A zero trust model can significantly reduce an attacker's capacity for lateral movement within a network, enforce least privilege access across critical resources, and minimize the organization's overall attack surface.

The report recommends security leaders start streamlining their security processes too, by first defining automation objectives and assessing the current and desired states of their security operations to identify any gaps.

The full report is available from the Info-Tech site and you can register for a webinar to discuss the findings on February 28 at 1pm ET.

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