[BreachExchange] Security priorities are shifting in response to increased cybersecurity complexity

[Destry Winant]

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2018/09/21/security-priorities/

The increased complexity of the IT environment, combined with
increasingly sophisticated attacks and a rapidly evolving threat
landscape, is causing organizations to invest more money in
cybersecurity and start to focus on the impact of cyber threats and
cybersecurity from a business perspective, according to a research
report conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG).

Reasons why cybersecurity has become more difficult

One of the report’s key findings is that in many organizations (96
percent), the traditional role of the CISO has expanded. As security
concerns are integrated into the planning for new digital initiatives,
CISOs are more often included as active participants in enterprise
business discussions. By including CISOs from the beginning,
enterprises can proactively balance security and performance with
operational functions such as ease of access, reliability, and a
positive user experience.

The primary driver cited for the elevation of the CISO is the
increasing difficulty of protecting enterprise data. Nearly 80 percent
of the 413 enterprise security professionals surveyed cited the
expanded volume and sophistication of malware as the main reason it is
becoming is harder to protect vital information.

According to the report, multiple security researchers indicate that
80–90 percent of malware attacks target a single device and 50–60
percent of malicious web domains are active for one hour or less.
These trends speak to the rise of targeted attacks designed to
penetrate the network of a single organization. Targeted attacks act
as small needles in a large haystack, making cybersecurity practices
increasingly difficult.

The second most frequently cited reason for the increase in
cybersecurity difficulty is the increase in the number of company IT
initiatives. Digital business projects, cloud and third-party
infrastructure, and the IoT make security substantially more
challenging. The report states, “Security teams find it difficult to
learn the nuances of these technology initiatives, understand the
associated risks, and implement the right security safeguards to
protect their organizations.” Inserting security executives directly
into the business conversation enables them to promote advances in
digital business while balancing associated risk.

CISOs who are given responsibility for both business and security can
address security from the very beginning of a project. A total of 86
percent of respondents agreed that applying cybersecurity to initial
project planning and development can help decrease the likelihood of a
security breach. Testing for both security and performance should be
ongoing, from the early stages of the project through live operation.

According to the report, “To ensure strong security, many InfoSec pros
believe this testing should be done on a continuous rather than
periodic basis.” In addition, 79 percent of those surveyed agreed that
organizations should test the effectiveness of security controls more
frequently.

CISO focus areas

“Security must be a proactive measure within the enterprise,” said
John Weinschenk, general manager, Enterprise Network and Application
security at Spirent Communications. “To meet the demands of business
and the realities of threats and risk, security professionals must be
actively involved with the business and integrate security
considerations from the very beginning of a project.”

“Moving security leadership into business planning is rapidly becoming
both a necessity and a reality,” said Jon Oltsik, senior principal
analyst, ESG Research. “Enterprises must balance business
considerations with security consciousness to be enablers of growth
while keeping risk in check.”

Another encouraging fact from the research is that 92 percent of the
organizations surveyed were planning to increase their cybersecurity
budgetsthrough 2018. The areas in which organizations were most likely
to increase spending included network security, cloud security, and
application security. Some of the planned increase stemmed from
unifying business and security functions and the desire to treat
security as an integral part of the development process, increasing
the need for earlier and more frequent security testing.

In addition, the new data shows that too many organizations have an
inadequate level of security staff and are particularly lacking staff
with combined experience in networking and security. CISOs can help
bridge these skill gaps.