CISOs air their views on GenAI, cyber thread landscape challenges and digital resilience – Cyber…>
Cyber Sec Asia – L L Seow
The report, conducted by Splunk, provides insights into the priorities and trends of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and cybersecurity professionals across different regions.
It combines both quantitative and qualitative data, including surveys and interviews with CISOs, CSOs, and other security leaders.
Key findings from the report include:
1) Ransomware Payments: Despite the risks involved, CISOs reported paying ransomware demands, with 90% of respondents stating that their organizations experienced disruptive cyberattacks in the past year.
The retail industry had the highest likelihood of paying ransoms, with 95% of respondents reporting payment either directly, through cyber insurance, or a third party.
2) Generative AI: CISOs expressed concerns about generative AI, with 70% believing it could provide cyber adversaries with more opportunities for attacks.
However, 35% of respondents were already experimenting with generative AI for cybersecurity, particularly in healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services.
3) Tool Sprawl and Automation: CISOs recognized the need to address tool sprawl and simplify processes through automation. 88% of respondents saw the need to rein in security analysis and operations tools, with solutions like security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR), security information and event management (SIEM), and threat intelligence.
4) C-Suite Engagement: CISOs reported an increased presence in the C-Suite, with 47% reporting directly to the CEO.
Boards of directors were increasingly turning to CISOs for guidance in cybersecurity strategy, and CISOs reported regular participation in board meetings across various industries.
5) Security Funding: The surveyed organizations prioritized security funding, with 93% of CISOs expecting an increase in cybersecurity budgets.
However, this often came at the expense of cuts in other parts of the organizations due to the growing number of threats and the declining economy.
6) Cross-Functional Collaboration: CISOs recognized the importance of cross-functional collaboration for a resilient cybersecurity strategy.
There was a significant increase in collaboration between security teams, IT, and engineering organizations, driven by initiatives like digital transformation, cloud-native development, and risk management.
Regional differences were also observed, with North American respondents placing a higher priority on cybersecurity education in their digital resilience strategies.
Generally, there was optimism regarding the applications of generative AI in security across all regions.
The report concluded with six key takeaways, including the acknowledgment that AI is becoming increasingly prevalent in cybersecurity and the need for better alignment between CISOs and board priorities.
It also emphasized the importance of CISOs considering the greater good and not paying ransoms, as well as the board’s prioritization of investments in cybersecurity.
Lastly, it highlighted the necessity of end-to-end collaboration throughout IT, software engineering, application development, cloud, and enterprise architecture functions for sustainable digital resilience.
Link: https://cybersecasia.net/news/cisos-air-their-views-on-genai-cyber-thread-landscape-challenges-and-digital-resilience