Cyber security teams unprepared for new data protection legislation

Over a third of cyber security teams have failed to prepare for two pending changes in EU laws regarding data protection, says new FireEye research.

In its ‘Mixed State of Readiness For  Cybersecurity Regulations in Europe’ report, anti-malware specialist FireEye claims that 39 per cent of firms in France, Germany and the UK have no defence strategy for the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation and Network and Information Security directive.

A mere 66 per cent of those who responded claim their company is well aware of how the new regulations will affect them. However, the research pointed out that 58 per cent expressed serious concerns over fines, while 57 per cent were worried about potential reputation damage. Further, 58 per cent are unhappy over potential revenue or business loss.

FireEye’s global government affairs chief, Adam Palmer, said:

“The new EU security and privacy requirements are incredibly important and will greatly increase the security obligations of European organisations.

“We encourage organisations of all sizes to adopt mitigation measures that will manage risk stemming from zero-day exploits and never-seen-before malware as these attacks constitute a majority of advanced attacks in today’s threat environment.”

UK firms may be failing to prepare for the new laws, but they could find themselves regretting it in the not-too-distant future. The best thing they can do to ensure they comply with the law changes – not to mention protecting themselves against cyber threats – is to open up cyber security jobs to trained and knowledgeable cyber professionals.