Company bosses are boosting their cybersecurity following an alarming increase in cyberattacks.
A new study commissioned by Kaspersky shows that 82% of companies surveyed in South Africa suffered at least one cyber incident over the last two years. One of the main reasons cited was the shortage of qualified IT security staff (14%).
Among measures to strengthen cybersecurity, overall up to 44% of local respondents claimed that their companies plan to invest in different forms of outsourcing cybersecurity in the next 12 to 18 months.
Kaspersky conducted a study to learn the opinions of IT security professionals working for SMEs and corporations worldwide regarding the impact people have on cybersecurity in a company. The survey gathered information about various groups of people who influence cybersecurity, looking at both internal staff, and external actors. It also analysed levels and types of online safety company bosses believed warranted investment.
In South Africa, 82% of respondents reported that their company had experienced cybersecurity incidents within the last two years, with 86% of these judged as ‘serious’. Some said the main reasons for cyber incidents occurring in their company were a lack of necessary tools for threat detection (41%) and a shortage of internal IT security staff (14%).
The respondents indicated that a variety of measures would be appropriate to address the gaps in cybersecurity. Specifically, 26% said they would like to see more external specialists brought in. Nearly a quarter of organisations (24%) plan to invest in third-party professional services, and just as many (24%) of respondents are aiming to outsource their cybersecurity to MSP/MSSP (Managed Service Providers/Managed Security Service Provider). The most likely industries to invest in third-party services in the near future are critical infrastructure, energy and oil & gas companies.
At the same time, many organisations plan to invest in automating their cybersecurity processes. In the next 12 months more than half of the local businesses (56%) have concrete plans to implement software that automatically manages their cybersecurity, while 18% are discussing the subject.
“The automation and outsourcing of cybersecurity tasks are major areas that organisations are struggling with because of a lack of experts and alert fatigue,” comments Ivan Vassunov, vice-president: corporate products at Kaspersky. “Turning to external experts, — whether it’s outsourcing, to manage the whole cybersecurity system, or adopting expert-level services to assist the IT security department — is the optimal solution for many.
“Cybersecurity vendors, Managed Service Providers, Managed Security Service Providers are the companies that have relevant expertise, all the necessary tools, and can manage cybersecurity effectively for customers of any size. Additionally, they can provide the customer with various options, such as Managed Detection and Response services, where SOC experts continuously carry out monitoring, or assistance in case of emergency like investigating a particular incident.
“Automation tools provided by cybersecurity vendors is another way an organisation can strengthen its cybersecurity. For example, our XDR and MDR has out-of-the-box automation through investigation and response playbooks and embedded AI, enabling clients and partners to significantly automate their information security processes.
“With all possible options provided by experts, each company can determine the scope of services that are needed, based on cybersecurity gaps or desired development trajectory,” says Vassunov.