A new global poll conducted by ISACA reveals skepticism about data breach disclosures and anticipated hiring challenges due to the cybersecurity skills gap. 63% of global IT professionals oppose giving governments backdoor access to encrypted information systems, and similar numbers (59%) feel that privacy is being compromised in an effort to implement stronger cybersecurity laws, survey data shows. The survey includes responses from 2,920 ISACA members in 121 countries also reveals marked skepticism about the likelihood of organizations sharing data breach information voluntarily as called for by the recently passed U.S. Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015.
The survey includes responses from 2,920 ISACA members in 121 countries.
A vast majority (83%) of survey respondents also favor regulation requiring companies to notify customers within 30 days of the discovery of a data breach – a 10-point increase in little more than a year.
Notably, 72% of respondents said that they are in favor of the U.S. Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, which encourages cyberthreat information sharing between the government and the private sector. Yet, only 46% believe their own organization would do so voluntarily if it experiences a data breach. As CivSource has reported in the past, the way the government currently manages its information sharing relationships with the private sector can make it challenging for companies to even have their reports heard let alone acted upon.
Similar to other cybersecurity surveys, IT professionals in the ISACA report say social engineering style attacks remain the top threat. Insider threats and advanced persistent threats are a close second and third. These items outranked options frequently associated with cyberattacks, including malware, unpatched systems and distributed denial-of-service attacks.
IT professionals also continue to sound the alarm over the lack of trained cybersecurity professionals in the labor force. Close to half (45%) of those surveyed worldwide report that they are hiring more cybersecurity professionals in 2016, yet fully 94% of those hiring say it will be difficult to find skilled candidates.
The full survey results are available here.
