Employee distraction is a bigger risk than attack sophistication
Cybersecurity professionals are sounding the alarm, not about increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, but about something far more human -- distraction.
New research from KnowBe4 shows distraction (43 percent) and lack of security awareness training (41 percent) are identified as the primary reasons employees fall victim to cyberattacks, rather than sophistication of the attacks themselves.
Over half of employees fall for mobile phishing scams
A new report shows that security leaders have false confidence in their capabilities and employees when it comes to mobile security. While 96 percent are confident their employees can spot a phishing attempt, 58 percent have reported incidents where employees fell victim to executive impersonation scams via text message.
The study from Lookout, of more than 700 security leaders globally, underscores a critical need for organizations to rethink their cybersecurity strategies, particularly around the human-risk factors for social-engineering attacks.
The top priorities and biggest worries for cyber leaders [Q&A]
The technology world is a fast moving one and keeping up with the latest trends can be difficult. Yet it's also essential if you're not to lose competitive edge or get caught out by new risks.
We spoke to Myke Lyons, CISO of data infrastructure company Cribl, to discuss what the priorities for cyber leaders should be and what things are likely to keep them awake at night.
Security awareness training programs fall short of business needs
Although 99 percent of organizations responding to a new survey suffered a security incident tied to human error in the past year, the majority state that they struggle to implement effective, scalable security awareness training (SAT) programs that reduce this risk.
The study from Abnormal AI of over 300 security and IT leaders in the US and UK finds that SAT is widely adopted, with 75 percent of organizations requiring employees to complete training at least quarterly.
False confidence leaves businesses at risk of phishing scams
While 86 percent of employees believe they can confidently identify phishing emails, nearly half have fallen for scams according to new research from security awareness training company KnowBe4.
The study, which surveyed professionals across the UK, USA, Germany, France, Netherlands, and South Africa, reveals a growing gap between confidence and competence in identifying cyber threats.
New tool helps prepare workforces for cyber threats
Humans are generally the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain, so training and awareness are essential alongside technology to keep organizations safe.
With the launch of its AI Scenario Generator, Immersive Labs enables organizations to seamlessly generate threat scenarios for crisis simulations to ensure their workforces are ready for the latest threats.
Employees lack fundamental security awareness
Many executives are concerned about their employees' level of cyber risk awareness, with a new survey showing that 70 percent believe their employees lack critical cybersecurity knowledge, up from 56 percent in 2023.
The study, of 1,850 executives across 29 countries, from Fortinet also shows that over 60 percent of respondents expect more employees to fall victim to attacks in which cybercriminals use AI.
Manufacturing businesses most likely to be hit by cyberattacks
The manufacturing industry is the most affected by cyber attacks, accounting for over 25 percent of all incidents, across the top 10 industries, of which 45 percent are malware attacks.
According to a new report from security awareness training company KnowBe4 the industry has become increasingly attractive to cybercriminals in recent years due to its interconnected nature, having a low tolerance for downtime, and valuable intellectual property stored in its databases, which could save competitors millions if obtained.
Are we starting to give up on cyber hygiene?
A new survey of over 7,000 individuals suggests a growing wave of pessimism among workers regarding cybersecurity practices.
The study from CybSafe and the National Cybersecurity Alliance shows 53 percent believe staying safe online is possible, down by five percent from last year, while only 60 percent think online safety is worth the effort, marking a nine percent drop.
Security awareness training is not enough to stop breaches
New research shows companies are pouring an increasing number of resources into their security awareness and training programs, with 96 percent of respondents allocating it between five percent to 20 percent of their security budgets.
But the research from CultureAI, based on a survey by Opinion Matters of 200 UK-based cyber security teams at organizations with over 1000 employees, finds that while 78 percent train employees at least monthly human-related breaches are still happening at an alarming rate.
Can humans provide a cybersecurity edge? [Q&A]
It's usually the case that cybersecurity is seen as being all about technology and that humans -- making mistakes and falling for social engineering -- are something of a liability.
But are people really just a problem or can they also be part of the solution? Toney Jennings, CEO of DataStone, believes we need to shift our thinking away from the current paradigm to empowering people as a hidden asset in the protection of their organization. We talked to him to find out more.
Cybersecurity pros don't like being ignored
A new survey reveals that 29 percent of security professionals say their biggest frustration is that their advice is being ignored.
The study, conducted by security awareness specialist KnowBe4 at Infosecurity Europe 2024 in London, finds other issues include a stated a lack of skilled workers to employ (15 percent), while a further 13 percent highlight working in an inadequate security culture or environment is their biggest complaint, with the same percentage claiming they have too many tools to manage at their organizations.
Half of employees afraid to report security errors
Half of respondents say that they would not feel free from repercussions if they reported a cybersecurity mistake within their organization.
A new survey from ThinkCyber Security also shows that a quarter of cybersecurity professionals doubt their colleagues change their behavior with current security awareness training, and 60 percent admit they only get training once every few months or even just once a year.
IT leaders worry about security despite being prepared
While 92 percent of IT business leaders believe they've made the right security investments and 88 percent say they meet all compliance requirements, half still worry about their company's security.
New research by Propeller Insights for AppDirect shows top areas of concern include cybersecurity risk (58 percent), information security risk (53 percent) and compliance risk (39 percent).
Information overload puts cybersecurity at risk
Over half of today's office workers are ignoring important cybersecurity alerts and warnings due to information overload from digital communication.
New research from CybSafe, based on a survey of 1,000 office workers, shows 54 percent have ignore warnings, while 47 per cent admitted to feeling the information overload is having an impact on their ability to identify threats such as suspicious emails.
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