Global COVID-19 surge adding new elements to
threat environment
VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise
software, today released the results of its first U.S.-focused
cybersecurity threat report, entitled: “Extended Enterprise Under
Threat,” based on a survey of 250 U.S. CIOs, CTOs and CISOs.
The research found an increase in both cyberattack volume and
breaches during the past 12 months in the U.S. This has prompted
increased investment in cyber defense, with U.S. businesses already
using an average of more than nine different cybersecurity tools,
the survey found.
Data for the report was compiled in March and April 2020 by an
independent research company, Opinion Matters, on behalf of VMware
Carbon Black.
Key survey findings from U.S. respondents:
- 92% said attack volumes have increased in the last 12
months, the survey found.
- 97% said their business has suffered a security breach
in the last 12 months. The average organization said they
experienced 2.70 breaches during that time, the survey
found.
- 84% said attacks have become more sophisticated, the
survey found.
- 95% said they plan to increase cyber defense spending in
the coming year.
- OS vulnerabilities are the leading cause of breaches,
according to the survey, followed by web application attacks
and ransomware.
- US companies said they are using an average of 9
different security technologies to manage their security program,
the survey found.
Common breach causes in U.S.
The most common cause of breaches in the U.S. was OS
vulnerabilities (27%). This was jointly followed by web
application attacks with 13.5% and ransomware with 13%.
Island-hopping was the cause of 5% of breaches.
Rick McElroy, Cyber Security Strategist at VMware Carbon Black,
said: “Island-hopping is having an increasing breach impact with
11% of survey respondents citing it as the main cause. In
combination with other third-party risks such as third-party apps
and the supply chain, it’s clear the extended enterprise is under
pressure.”
Complex multi-technology environments
US cybersecurity professionals said they are using an average of
more than nine different tools or consoles to manage their cyber
defense program, the survey found. This indicates a security
environment that has evolved reactively as security tools have been
adopted to tackle emerging threats.
Said McElroy: “Siloed, hard-to-manage environments hand the
advantage to attackers from the start. Evidence shows that
attackers have the upper hand when security is not an intrinsic
feature of the environment. As the cyber threat landscape reaches
saturation, it is time for rationalization, strategic thinking and
clarity over security deployment.”
Supplemental COVID-19 survey in U.S.
The latest research was supplemented with a survey on the impact
COVID-19 has had on the attack landscape1. According to the
supplemental survey of more than 1,000 respondents from the U.S.,
UK, Singapore and Italy, 88% of U.S. cybersecurity
professionals said attack volumes have increased as more employees
work from home. 89% said their organizations have
experienced cyberattacks linked to COVID-19 malware.
Key findings from the supplemental U.S. COVID-19-focused
survey:
- 89% said they have been targeted by COVID-19-related
malware.
- Inability to institute multifactor authentication (MFA)
was reported as the biggest security threat to businesses during
COVID-19, the survey found.
- 83% reported gaps in disaster planning around
communications with external parties including customers,
prospects, and partners.
Said McElroy: “The global situation with COVID-19 has put the
spotlight on business resilience and disaster recovery planning.
Those organizations that have delayed implementing multi-factor
authentication appear to be facing challenges, as 32% of U.S.
respondents say the inability to implement MFA is the biggest
threat to business resilience they are facing right now.”
U.S. survey respondents were asked whether COVID-19 had exposed
gaps in their disaster recovery plans, and to indicate the severity
of those gaps. Their responses showed that:
- 83% of respondents reported gaps in recovery planning, ranging
from slight to severe.
- 83% said they had uncovered gaps in IT operations.
- 84% said they encountered problems around enabling a remote
workforce.
- 83% said they’ve experienced challenges communicating with
employees
- 83% said they had experienced difficulty communicating with
external parties.
- 63% said the situation uncovered gaps around visibility into
cybersecurity threats.
Said McElroy: “These figures indicate that the surveyed CISOs
may be facing difficulty in a number of areas when answering the
demands placed on them by the COVID-19 situation.”
Risks directly related to COVID-19 have also quickly emerged,
the survey found. This includes rises in COVID-19 malware which was
seen by 89% of U.S. respondents.
Said McElroy: “The 2020 survey results suggest that security
teams must be working in tandem with business leaders to shift the
balance of power from attackers to defenders. We must also
collaborate with IT teams and work to remove the complexity that’s
weighing down the current model. By building security intrinsically
into the fabric of the enterprise – across applications, clouds and
devices – teams can significantly reduce the attack surface, gain
greater visibility into threats, and understand where security
vulnerabilities exist.”
Read the full executive summary here.
About VMware’s Intrinsic Security Strategy
Security sprawl – too many products, agents, and interfaces
deployed across an organization – has created complexity for
security management, opening organizations to significant risk.
Most security innovation over the past decade has focused on
identifying and reacting to individual attacks. Little innovation
has focused on hardening infrastructure itself to make it more
secure or using the infrastructure to better protect an
organization.
The way forward is an intrinsic security approach that combines
detecting and responding to threats, in addition to hardening
infrastructure. VMware makes security intrinsic from endpoint to
cloud, leveraging the infrastructure to provide visibility for
apps, users and devices, and combining that with leading threat
detection and response capabilities to deliver a unique (and
better) approach to security.
About VMware
VMware software powers the world’s complex digital
infrastructure. The company’s cloud, app modernization, networking,
security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver
any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in
Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for
good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global
impact. For more information, please visit
https://www.vmware.com/company.html
VMware and Carbon Black are registered trademarks or trademarks
of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other
jurisdictions.
Main Survey Methodology
Carbon Black commissioned a survey, undertaken by an independent
research organization, Opinion Matters, in March 2020. 3,012 CIOs,
CTOs and CISOs, including 250 from the U.S., were surveyed for this
global research project across multiple countries including:
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands,
The Nordics, Singapore, Spain, the US and the UK. Companies were
from a range of industries including: financial, healthcare,
government, retail, manufacturing, food and beverage, oil and gas,
professional services, and media and entertainment.
COVID-19 Survey Methodology
1 COVID-19 survey methodology: The COVID-19 survey was conducted
by Opinion Matters in March and April 2020. 1002 CIOs, CTOs or
CISOs from Italy, Singapore, the UK and the US were asked for their
views on the security and operational challenges of COVID-19.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200714005274/en/
Samantha Mayowa VMware Carbon Black Global Communications
1.781.496.9318 smayowa@vmware.com
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