97% of organizations are unprepared for Gen V cyber-attacks

Check Point has published its 2018 Security Report, highlighting the threats facing enterprises worldwide across industries, and giving cyber-security professionals the information they need to protect their organizations against multi-vector, fast-moving, mega-scale Gen V (5^th gen) cyber threats.

 

Based on multiple international surveys of IT professionals and C-level executives, as well as Check Point’s Threat Cloud and threat intelligence reports from its global network of sensors, the 2018 Security Report examines the latest threats enterprises are encountering across industry sectors.  It highlights that most organizations’ security is at least 10 years and two generations behind the advanced Gen V (5^th generation) threats that are impacting them today. 

 

Key findings include: 

 

·         Just 3% of enterprises are using threat prevention with cloud and mobile security (Gen V security), which protects against large-scale, multi-vector Gen V attacks – meaning 97% of enterprises are vulnerable

 

·         Only 21% of enterprises are currently using any threat prevention tools, with the rest relying on security solutions that are at least two generations behind the ability to block Gen V attacks

 

·         During 2017, organizations faced 56 cyber-attacks on average – over one per week

 

·         Enterprises that secure their networks in detection-only mode (alerting but not blocking a breach), experienced 79% more attacks than those using solutions in prevention mode (blocking attacks immediately on detection)

 

·         Enterprises using disparate ‘point’ security products faced 37% more cyber-attacks than those using consolidated security solutions

 

·         A majority of security professionals don’t feel prepared enough for a cyber-attack, rating their organization as only moderately prepared for an attack (3.56 on a 1 - 5 readiness scale).  Just 23% reported having a pre-defined attack recovery plan in place. 

  

·         The biggest barriers to achieving higher levels of security were staffing challenges (70%), security conflicting with business or user experience (56%) and outdated security infrastructures (50%)

  

·         Over 300 mobile apps in trusted, reputable app stores are infected with malware, while cloud threats, crypto-mining attacks, MacOS and IoT device vulnerabilities are rising.

 

“We’re seeing a new generation of cyber-attacks:  these Gen V attacks are multi-vector, fast-moving, and mega-scaled,” said Peter Alexander, CMO of Check Point.  “Despite this, 77% of CISOs expressed concern that their organizations aren’t equipped to handle these attacks, and the vast majority of organizations’ security infrastructures are woefully outdated.  The 2018 Security Report offers knowledge, insights, solutions, and recommendations on how to prevent these attacks.”