Rising breach numbers drive zero-trust adoption

Two-thirds of organizations responding to a new survey list cyber risk concerns as the most important drivers for implementing a zero-trust strategy.

A new report from the Entrust Cybersecurity Institute, based on research by the Ponemon Institute, shows the pattern is even more pronounced in the US, with 50 percent of organizations citing cyber breach risk and 29 percent reporting the expanding attack surface for a combined total of 79 percent.

The survey of over 4,000 IT security professionals shows that companies are now more motivated to invest in security to prevent data breaches, rather than just to follow regulations. While in the past, compliance was the main reason for security investments, 41 percent of respondents now prioritize security investments to reduce the risks of data breaches or other security incidents. 46 percent of respondents say hackers exposing sensitive or confidential data is their top security concern, followed by system or process malfunctions and unmanaged certificates.

But despite 60 percent of organizations reporting significant senior leadership support for zero trust, a lack of skills and budget are still cited as the biggest roadblocks to implementing these frameworks.

While 62 percent of organizations worldwide have begun their own zero trust journey, the US is lagging behind with only 48 percent of organizations doing so. Barriers to adoption of more effective credential management include, 50 percent of respondents identifying a shortage of skilled personnel, 47 percent the absence of clear ownership, and 46 percent citing inadequate staffing.

"With the rise of costly breaches and AI-generated deepfakes, synthetic identity fraud, ransomware gangs, and cyber warfare, the threat landscape is intensifying at an alarming rate," said Samantha Mabey, director solutions marketing at Entrust. "This means that implementing a zero trust security practice is an urgent business imperative -- and the security of organizations' and their customers' data, networks, and identities depends on it."

The full report is available from the Entrust site.

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