Security breaches on the rise
If you think cybersecurity is getting both harder and more important, you’re right. 63 per cent of Australian organisations were hit by at least one security breach or incident in the past year, according to CompTIA’s new report, International Trends in Cybersecurity.
Our research of more than 1,500 business and technology executives in 12 different countries, including 125 Australian respondents, found that mobile security incidents are happening at a higher rate than ever before. In Australia, 71 per cent of organisations said they had a mobile-related security incident such as a lost device, policy violations, or staff disabling security features.
Furthermore, 72 per cent of Australian organisations expect security to become a higher priority over the next two years.
A new way to look at IT security
Due to the evolving nature of IT, most organisations have had to change the way their company approaches security. In Australia, as in many other countries, the biggest change has been in IT operations, especially as firms move to cloud or implement new mobility strategies.
Humans are the biggest cybersecurity weakness
Our study also revealed that human error is becoming more of a cybersecurity factor for companies. 61 per cent of Australian organisations reported it as a major contributor to security risk (compared with 58 per cent internationally).
The top sources of human error are: failing to get up to speed on new threats (37 per cent); end users failing to follow policies (31 per cent); and intentionally disabling security features (28 per cent).
Australian organisations are taking steps to assess and improve cybersecurity knowledge among their employees, but the results so far have been mixed. Only 23 percent of organisations rate their cybersecurity education and training methods as extremely effective.
Organisations should make employee training mandatory, comprehensive, and regular. Follow up tests and assessments can also help to ensure the training is clear for employees.
To review the International Trends in Cybersecurity report for free, visit: https://www.comptia.org/resources/international-trends-in-cybersecurity.
To join the ANZ Community or for more information visit: http://www.comptia.org/communities/anz-channel
Moheb Moses is Community Director of the CompTIA ANZ Community and Director of Channel Dynamics
