Cyber Security Threat Summary:
According to recent reporting, the majority of organizations facing ransomware attacks are choosing to pay ransoms, with over half paying more than $100,000 to regain access to their systems and data. A Splunk study found that 96% of respondents had encountered a ransomware attack, and 52% described the impact on their business as significant. Moreover, 83% of organizations admitted to paying the ransom, with 53% paying more than $100,000, and 9% paying at least $1 million. These payments were made directly to hackers, via cyber insurance, or through a third party.

To enhance cyber resilience and visibility, organizations are emphasizing cross-functional collaboration, with 92% reporting increased cybersecurity collaboration between security, IT, and engineering teams. Collaboration was strengthened through digital transformation, cloud-native software development, and a focus on risk management. In terms of security concerns, 40% were worried about social engineering, 37% about threats related to operational technology and the Internet of Things, and 33% about ransomware attacks (ZDNet, 2023)”

Security Officer Comments:
Many respondents expressed concerns about generative artificial intelligence (AI) enabling more sophisticated attacks. 70% believed generative AI provided threat actors with new opportunities, 36% anticipated faster and more efficient attacks, and 36% foresaw its use for voice and image impersonation. However, 35% were experimenting with generative AI to bolster their cybersecurity, particularly in malware analysis and workflow automation.

Suggested Correction(s):
Most Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) had integrated automation into their processes (93%), and 86% believed generative AI could address skills gaps and shortages in security teams by handling labor-intensive tasks, allowing staff to focus on strategic duties. However, CISOs expressed concern about the proliferation of security tools, with 88% wanting to streamline the number of security analysis and operations tools used, including threat intelligence, security orchestration, automation, and event management.

Link(s):
https://www.zdnet.com/article/