Research: Supply chain and COVID-19 challenges forces companies to shift their security strategies

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Cybersecurity risks successful the endeavor amusement nary signs of slowing down, arsenic the sophistication, frequency, and consequences of cyberattacks proceed to germinate and grow. Toss successful the COVID-19 pandemic and proviso concatenation disruptions, and it's nary wonderment that enterprises are shifting their cybersecurity strategies.

How palmy are they? TechRepublic Premium ran a cybersecurity strategy survey to amended recognize wherever businesses basal connected assorted security-related topics. It asked questions regarding however the COVID-19 pandemic has affected cybersecurity strategies, however acrophobic companies are astir information risks for proviso chains and the types of cybersecurity tactics and measures companies person implemented oregon volition instrumentality successful the adjacent 12 months, among others. This year's results were compared to a akin survey conducted past year.

SEE: Cybersecurity strategy 2021: Tactics, challenges and proviso concatenation concerns (TechRepublic Premium)

Overall, the bulk of respondents (83%) reported being either "very" oregon "somewhat" assured successful their company's existent cybersecurity strategy. Further, 32% of respondents said that their company's cybersecurity strategy is developed successful real-time arsenic needed oregon is simply a ceremonial argumentation that is reviewed connected a regular ground and is adjusted arsenic needed.

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However, 17% of respondents reported their companies person nary strategy successful place. While 19% of respondents either enactment successful companies that mightiness person a ceremonial argumentation that is seldom reviewed, oregon they are unsure of their company's strategy. 

These numbers are an betterment implicit a akin survey conducted past year, which reported that 28% of respondents' companies had either nary strategy successful spot oregon had an out-of-date argumentation that was seldom (if ever) reviewed. 

SEE: Cybersecurity strategy 2021: Tactics, challenges and proviso concatenation concerns (TechRepublic Premium)

Worker shortages, deficiency of materials and COVID-19-mandated shutdowns person created proviso concatenation bottlenecks and exposed proviso concatenation information flaws. So, it's not astonishing that a bulk of respondents (64%) indicated that their companies were acrophobic astir information risks for proviso chains. 

Respondents program to antagonistic these challenges with solutions similar adding two-factor authentication oregon authentication codes to each bundle and hardware (22%), including information requirements successful each RFP and declaration (16%) and moving with vendors onsite to code immoderate vulnerabilities and information gaps (16%) and limiting vendor entree to bundle (14%). 

Only 3% of respondents person not implemented nor program to instrumentality immoderate proviso concatenation cybersecurity measures.

SEE: Cybersecurity strategy 2021: Tactics, challenges and proviso concatenation concerns (TechRepublic Premium)

COVID-19 has besides led to shifts successful cybersecurity strategies successful astir a 4th of respondents. For example, 23% of respondents reported that owed to the pandemic their institution revamped oregon plans to revamp their cybersecurity strategy, and 22% of respondents accrued oregon program to summation their fund allocation for cybersecurity. 

According to past year's cybersecurity survey, the azygous biggest situation respondents reported was worker grooming with 47%. In this year's survey, worker grooming ranked 2nd (with 16%) down changeless and evolving threats requiring much analyzable solutions (with 21%). In the 2020 survey, that effect came successful 2nd with 46%.

Also successful enactment with past year's results, hybrid unreality remains the apical modern exertion that businesses fearfulness implementing the most. One notable alteration from past twelvemonth was that borderline computing came successful second, with 20% (whereas it was 3rd successful 2020 with 26%). Also, artificial quality came successful 3rd this twelvemonth (with 20%), whereas it was 2nd past twelvemonth (with 34%). In addition, containers dropped from 20% past twelvemonth to 6% this year. 

The infographic beneath contains selected details from the research. To work much findings, positive analysis, download the afloat report: Cybersecurity strategy 2021: Tactics, challenges and proviso concatenation concerns (free for TechRepublic Premium subscribers).