Report: Critical IT Assets Need Protection Beyond Standard Network Security

Rhea-AI Summary

Telos Corporation has released findings from a study indicating that 86% of security professionals worry about protecting critical IT assets. Conducted by Vanson Bourne, the research surveyed 250 professionals, revealing that 99% believe an attack could have societal repercussions. Notably, 83% reported experiencing a cyber attack in the past two years. Most respondents (93%) feel their current protection tools are inadequate. The study suggests a rising need for better security measures, particularly network obfuscation, to guard against complex cyber threats.

Positive

• 99% of organizations believe they need to improve protection against cyber threats.
• 95% of those who segmented their critical IT assets feel better protected.
• 36% of organizations are very concerned about potential cyber attacks in the next 6 months; this drops to 24% for those using obfuscation tools.

Negative

• 83% of respondents experienced a successful cyber attack in the last two years.
• 93% believe their current security tools are insufficient for protecting IT assets.

Independent research reveals 86% of individuals involved in securing their enterprise network are kept up at night by concerns about protecting their critical assets

ASHBURN, Va., Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telos^® Corporation, a leading provider of cyber, cloud and enterprise security solutions for the world’s most security-conscious organizations, today unveiled new findings from research conducted by independent research firm Vanson Bourne that explores how organizations approach network and critical IT asset protection.

The study, which polled 250 information technology, IT security, legal and risk/fraud/compliance professionals, revealed that nearly all organizations (99 percent) believe an attack on their critical IT assets would have repercussions not just for their organizations, but for society at large. Perhaps more concerning, most respondents (83 percent) reported having experienced a successful cyber attack in the past two years, with half indicating the attackers managed to reach their critical IT assets.

The results suggest that, as the cyber threat landscape continues to grow in danger and complexity, organizations must take concerted steps to protect their IT networks. This is especially true when it comes to critical assets, in particular within banking, financial services and insurance; healthcare and life sciences; energy and utilities; K-12 education; and higher education sectors, where lost or stolen IT assets could result in devastating consequences for an organization, its customers and the wider society.

Key findings from the report include:

• 99 percent believe they need to improve their ability to prevent an attacker from accessing critical assets once they have broken into the network.
  
  
• 95 percent of those who have segmented and protected their critical IT assets believe that the assets are better protected as a result.
  
  
• Yet 93 percent believe the tools they are currently using to protect their segmented assets are insufficient to defend their organization against cyber threats.
  
  
• An overwhelming majority (86 percent) admitted to having been kept awake at night by concerns about the protection of critical IT assets.
  

“As hackers and threats continue to grow in sophistication, the importance of locking down critical IT assets is clearer than ever before, yet current security approaches are falling short in achieving that goal,” said Tom Badders, senior product manager at Telos. “Now is the time for organizations to consider a different approach – and the best way to protect critical assets is to hide them entirely.”

Offering a path forward in today’s threat landscape, nearly all (99 percent) of respondents who have been kept awake at night by concerns about the protection of critical IT assets agree that they would sleep better if they could hide their network assets by eliminating IP addresses, making them invisible on the public internet via network obfuscation. In fact, 36 percent of organizations are very concerned that their organization will experience an attack on its critical IT assets in the next 6 months; however, among those using network obfuscation tools, this drops to 24 percent.

For additional findings and to download the full report, visit https://www.telos.com/next-step/evolution-of-critical-it-asset-protection-report.

Methodology
Telos commissioned independent research firm Vanson Bourne to survey 250 information technology, IT security, legal, and risk/fraud/compliance professionals involved in securing their enterprise network. Conducted in August and September 2021, respondents were from organizations with 500 or more employees within banking, financial services and insurance; healthcare; energy, oil and gas, and utilities; K-12 education; and higher education sectors.

About Telos Corporation
Telos Corporation (NASDAQ: TLS) empowers and protects the world’s most security-conscious organizations with solutions for continuous security assurance of individuals, systems, and information. Telos’ offerings include cybersecurity solutions for IT risk management and information security; cloud security solutions to protect cloud-based assets and enable continuous compliance with industry and government security standards; and enterprise security solutions for identity and access management, secure mobility, organizational messaging, and network management and defense. The company serves commercial enterprises, regulated industries and government customers around the world.

About Vanson Bourne
Vanson Bourne is an independent specialist in market research for the technology sector. Our reputation for robust and credible research-based analysis is founded upon rigorous research principles and our ability to seek the opinions of senior decision makers across technical and business functions, in all business sectors and all major markets. For more information, visit www.vansonbourne.com.

Media:
Mia Wilcox
media@telos.com
(610) 564-6773

Investors:
Christina Mouzavires
InvestorRelations@telos.com
(703) 724-4777

FAQ

What were the key findings from the Telos Corporation cybersecurity study?

The study found that 86% of IT professionals are concerned about protecting critical assets, with 83% having experienced a successful cyber attack in the past two years.

What percentage of organizations believe they need better protection for critical IT assets?

99% of organizations believe they need to improve their ability to protect critical IT assets from cyber threats.

How many organizations feel their security tools are insufficient?

93% of organizations believe that the tools they currently use are inadequate for defending against cyber threats.

What is the potential concern for organizations regarding cyber attacks in the next 6 months?

36% of organizations are very concerned about experiencing an attack on their critical IT assets within the next 6 months.

What percentage of organizations using network obfuscation feel less concerned about attacks?

Concern about attacks drops to 24% among organizations using network obfuscation tools.