Cybersecurity Report: Increasing number of online attacks - The Cryptonomist
A new report by ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW) entitled “Costs and Consequences of Gaps in Vulnerability Response” has just been released, which showed and underlined how Cybersecurity companies and attacks have evolved with respect to the previous year.
One of the controversial facts that emerge from the report is that, although attacks have increased by 17%, 60% of these could be easily blocked by updating the systems: this means that these attacks are old and not new, demonstrating how the sophistication of the attacks is always slower than the exploitation of already existing viruses and attacks.
Another interesting aspect is that related to the timing with which these patches are applied: the weekly spending for cybersecurity has increased by 34%, with an increase in the number of employees in the sector and with an average annual cost of 600 thousand euros.
In addition to the fact that there is a lack of sufficient and competent staff, it must also be taken into account that there is no clear understanding of how to operate.
Instead, according to the data, thanks to automation systems it is easier to solve these problems and improve the cybersecurity. Among other things, companies that use similar tools are also the safest and hence strengthen the company, said senior manager, solution consulting of ServiceNow, Antonio Rizzi:
“The study shows that vulnerabilities are a growing concern for CIOs and CISOs. Companies have seen downtime increase by 30% due to vulnerability patching and this is damaging to customers, employees and the brand. Many companies have the motivation to solve this challenge but are struggling to make the best use of their resources for more effective vulnerability management. Teams that invest in automation and improving interactions between IT and security will strengthen security for the entire company”.
There are still many systems and organisations, both public and private, that struggle and sometimes neglect cybersecurity, as evidenced by frightening cases such as the cities of Johannesburg and Baltimore.