Security News > 2021 > November > Report: More than half of organizations do not effectively defend against cyberattacks
More than half of large companies are not effectively stopping cyberattacks, finding and fixing breaches quickly or reducing the impact of breaches, according to a new research study from Accenture.
"Accenture's State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2021 study explored the extent to which organizations prioritize security, the effectiveness of current security efforts and how their security investments are performing. The pandemic served as"a breeding ground for new attacks,'' according to the study, which was based on a survey of more than 4,700 executives globally.
Despite two-thirds of organizations saying they believed that their ecosystem is secure, indirect attacks accounted for 61% of all cyberattacks this past year, up from 44% the prior year, according to the study.
Organizations stand to reduce the cost of breaches by 48% to 71% if they increase their performance to cyber champion levels, the study said.
There are three measures executives can take to make their organizations become more like cyber champions: give CISOs a seat at the top table, be threat-centric and business-aligned, and get the most out of a secure cloud, according to the study.
"Spending more on cybersecurity without being closely aligned to the business doesn't make an organization safer, noted Jacky Fox, group technology officer at Accenture Security."When it comes to managing cyber risks, organizations can't afford to lean one way or the other.