Global Study Finds 63% Of Organisations Believe They Can’t Stop Data Theft

New Ponemon Institute survey suggests key cybersecurity deficits, disconnects and low attack visibility

Websense, Inc. released the first report of the Ponemon Institute survey, “Exposing the Cybersecurity Cracks: A Global Perspective,” uncovering the deficient, disconnected and in-the-dark realities that challenge IT security professionals. The new survey of nearly 5,000 global IT security professionals reveals a deficit in enterprise security systems, a disconnect in how confidential data is valued and limited visibility into cybercriminal activity. The report gives new insight into why cybercriminals have a foothold in the broader enterprise.

“This global security report shows that the cybersecurity industry still has more work to do when it comes to addressing cyber-attacks,” said John McCormack, Websense CEO. “Security professionals need effective security measures and heightened security intelligence to keep organisations safe from advanced attacks and data loss. This need is what drives the Websense commitment to continued security innovation and significant Websense TRITON solution development.”

The “Exposing the Cybersecurity Cracks: A Global Perspective” report surveyed IT security practitioners with an average of 10 years’ experience in the field from 15 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States. Findings reveal a global consensus that security professionals need access to heightened threat intelligence and defenses.

Deficient in Security Solution Effectiveness

– Fifty-seven per cent of respondents do not think their organisation is protected from advanced cyber attacks and 63 per cent doubt they can stop the exfiltration of confidential information.

– Most respondents (69 per cent) believe cybersecurity threats sometimes fall through the cracks of their companies’ existing security systems.

– Forty-four per cent of companies represented in this research experienced one or more substantial cyber attacks in the past year.

– Fifty-nine per cent of companies do not have adequate intelligence or are unsure about attempted attacks and their impact. Further, 51 per cent say their security solutions do not inform them about the root causes of an attack or they are unsure.

Disconnect on the Perceived Value of Confidential Data

– According to respondents, there is a gap between data breach perception and reality – specifically regarding the potential revenue loss to their business. Eighty per cent of respondents say their company’s leaders do not equate losing confidential data with a potential loss of revenue.

This is in contrast to recent Ponemon Institute research, which indicates that data breaches have serious financial consequences for organisations. The average cost per lost or stolen record due to a data breach is $188 and the average cost of an organisational data breach is $5.4 million.

– Forty-eight per cent say their board-level executives have a sub-par understanding of security issues. However, Websense believes that cybersecurity awareness has most likely increased from that of a few years ago.

Limited Visibility Into Cybercriminal Activity

– Less than half of the respondents (41 per cent) believe they have a good understanding about the threat landscape facing their company.

– Only 37 per cent of respondents could say with certainty that their organisation lost sensitive or confidential information as a result of a cyber attack.

– Thirty-five per cent of those who had lost sensitive or confidential information did not know exactly what data had been stolen.

“While there are significant differences among countries for specific questions (such as availability of cyber attack intelligence), the overall analysis indicates that a majority of security professionals do not feel adequately armed to defend their organisations from threats,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. “This challenge is further compounded by a perception that company leaders do not believe that data breaches will lead to loss of revenue. Our research has shown this is simply untrue.”

In addition to the survey results, the report also includes conclusions drawn from the data and recommendations for addressing the exposed cracks in current cybersecurity measures. A full copy of the report, including survey methodology, consolidated results and individual response rates by country is available at www.websense.com/ponemon 2014. To learn how Websense provides the industry’s most advanced threat identification capabilities please visit www.websense.com/triton.

About Websense, Inc.

Websense, Inc. is a global leader in protecting organisations from the latest cyber attacks and data theft. Websense TRITON comprehensive security solutions unify web security, email security, mobile security and data loss prevention (DLP) at the lowest total cost of ownership. More than 11,000 enterprises rely on Websense TRITON security intelligence to stop advanced persistent threats, targeted attacks and evolving malware. Websense prevents data breaches, intellectual property theft and enforces security compliance and best practices. A global network of channel partners distributes scalable, unified appliance- and cloud-based Websense TRITON solutions.

Websense TRITON stops more threats; visit www.websense.com/proveit to see proof. To access the latest Websense security insights and connect through social media, please visit www.websense.com/smc. For more information, visit www.websense.com and www.websense.com/triton.

About Ponemon Institute

Ponemon Institute is dedicated to advancing responsible information and privacy management practices in business and government.To achieve this objective, the Institute conducts independent research,educates leaders from the private and public sectors and verifies the privacy and data protection practices of organisations in a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.ponemon.org.