Two in three cyber pros believe Brexit won’t affect cyber defence

A recent survey of close to 300 cyber security professionals at London’s Infoex 2016 found that two in three attendees feel that Brexit won’t affect the UK’s ability to fend off a cyber attack.

A referendum will take place on June 23 and will dictate whether the UK will stay in, or leave, the EU.

When asked whether an EU exit would affect the UK’s ability to avoid being hit by a cyber attack, 64% of the 278 cyber pros surveyed thought it would result in no change.

US security company Tripwire conducted the survey. The firm’s EMEA vice president said that most of the cyber pros appeared to be unfazed by the effects that the referendum may have on cyber security.

He said:

“This could mean that they believe that the UK’s approach to cyber security won’t change significantly, either way. But it’s also possible that EU hasn’t provided enough transparency around the impact of new regulations in the near term to make a difference to professionals that grapple with these issues every day.”

Adrian Davis, MD from cyber security association (isc)2, however, believes that remaining in the EU is necessary for cyber security due to the collaboration and sharing of information between countries and their governments.

It remains to be seen how the outcome of the referendum will affect cyber security, or whether it will have much bearing at all. Either way, businesses needn’t focus on changing their operating procedure. As long as they have staff on board to handle cyber security jobs, they will be just fine.