World Tour Survey: IT Operations’ Hands-on Defense

World Tour Survey: IT Operations’ Hands-on Defense

December 3, 2024 at 02:24PM

Cybercriminals are enhancing their attacks using generative AI, increasing risks for businesses. A survey of over 750 cybersecurity professionals reveals rising concerns among IT operations teams regarding operational blind spots and prioritization of vulnerabilities. Effective communication with security operations is vital for addressing these challenges and ensuring security protocols are followed.

### Meeting Takeaways

**1. Cybersecurity Landscape:**
– Cybercriminals have an expanded toolkit for disrupting operations, stealing data, and manipulating employees.
– Generative AI (GenAI) enhances phishing attacks and facilitates the creation of deepfakes, elevating existing threats.

**2. Increased Pressure on Security Professionals:**
– Chief executives and corporate boards are becoming more aware of the risks posed by cyber threats, emphasizing the need for effective security measures to mitigate legal, financial, and reputational damage.

**3. Survey Overview:**
– Trend conducted the Risk to Resilience World Tour Survey, gathering insights from over 750 cybersecurity professionals across 49 countries.
– The survey focused on four key roles:
– Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
– Security Operations Center (SOC) team
– IT operations staff
– Cloud security engineers

**4. IT Operations Role:**
– IT operations teams play a critical role in maintaining operational continuity and ensuring security protocols are followed.
– Key activities include deploying security agents, correcting misconfigurations, and patching vulnerabilities.
– Effective communication with SOC peers is essential for timely and efficient defense.

**5. Rising Risk Levels:**
– 66% of IT operations respondents report increasing risk levels within their organizations.
– This marks a significant increase in awareness compared to five years ago when visibility into risk trends was limited.

**6. Operational Challenges:**
– Top challenges faced by IT operations teams:
– Blind spots in the attack surface (17%)
– Ability to prioritize remediation efforts (13%)
– The need for proactive identification of risks is crucial to minimize breach potential and effectively address vulnerabilities.

**Next Steps:**
– Review the complete report, “The Defenders,” for insights on other roles and broader findings from the survey.

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