Two in three firm at nation-state cyber attack risk

Almost two thirds of businesses are potentially a target of a nation-state IT attack, says recent research.

A survey conducted by software company Tripwire discovered that 86%of those respondents have witness a rise in targetted cyber attacks aimed at their network within the last 12 months.

The survey, which questioned 215 individuals who attended the 2015 Black Hat USA security event in Nevada, discovered that in spite of the obvious rise in attacks, only 47% said that they have seen an increase in confidence that their company is able to find and combat a cyber attack.

Tripwire risk strategy and IT security director Tim Erlin said that companies are aware that they are targets for cyber attacks, and they are not currently equipped to consistently recognise and defend themselves against such attacks.

He added:

“While new defensive technologies are constantly being developed, organisations are hard pressed to deploy these new tools effectively. In many cases, these organisations would do well to evaluate their investment in foundational security controls. Although these controls are not new, they are the backbone of effective breach detection and response.”

Cyber attacks continue to be a valid threat for companies of all sizes. Failing to have the necessary measures in place can be disastrous for the operations and reputation of a business, especially if customer data falls into the wrong hands. This is why it is so important for these companies to fill their cyber security jobs with the right personnel.