CrowdStrike Global Security Attitude Survey 2021 – The Findings

Last year, CrowdStrike released its fourth annual Global Security Attitude Survey to highlight the increasingly complex challenges of cyber security in the modern threat landscape. The 2021 survey hones in on the rising number of attack vectors, the impact of remote working and the escalating cost of ransomware. The report paints an alarming picture but also pinpoints necessary steps businesses can take to reduce their chances of being the next victim of a cyber attack. In this article, we’ll summarise the key findings from the report and outline the recommended measures you can take to address current and emerging threats.

THE KEY FINDINGS

The CrowdStrike Global Security Attitude Survey 2021 explored the attitudes of security professionals and focused on three key areas:

1. The Success Rates of Software Supply Chain Attacks

Software supply chain attacks show no signs of slowing down. The survey questioned whether organisations are taking the necessary action to protect themselves against this attack vector. Some of the key facts and figures include:

• Software supply chain attacks have become more prolific with an increase in headline-grabbing examples such as the Sunburst and Kaseya attacks.
• 77% of organisations have experienced a software supply chain attack in the past, with 45% experiencing at least one attack in the last 12 months.
• 84% of respondents believe that software supply chain attacks could become one of the biggest cyber threats within the next three years.

2. The Ability to Defend Against Ransomware

Ransomware remains a persistent threat and the shift to remote working has made more it challenging for organisations to operate securely . The survey highlighted the costs that can be incurred if a ransomware attack is successful and why these costs are increasing at an alarming rate:

• 66% of respondents’ businesses suffered at least one ransomware attack in the past 12 months, with 33% suffering multiple attacks.
• The average ransom payment increased by 63% in 2021 to $2.49 million AUD and 96% of businesses who paid the initial ransom also had to pay additional extortion fees.
• 57% of those hit by ransomware didn’t have a comprehensive defence strategy in place to coordinate their response.

3. The Speed of Detection and Response

According to CrowdStrike’s survey, businesses are moving in the wrong direction when it comes to detection and response times of cyber threats. The trend has been augmented by the persistent range of threats while businesses have tried to redesign their operations to account for new hybrid working patterns. The survey showed that respondents were far from the recommended benchmark for detecting, investigating, and containing cyber security incidents:

• 69% of businesses have suffered a cyber security incident as a direct result of teams working remotely.
• Respondents estimated that it would take an average of 146 hours to detect a cyber security incident, giving malicious actors six full days to wreak havoc in their network.
• Organisations estimated they would need 11 hours to triage, investigate, and understand an incident.
• On top of this, respondents estimate they would need an average of 16 hours to contain and remediate a threat.
• 47% of respondents report that their organisations’ security infrastructure is made up of too many disparate solutions that don’t easily integrate for proper protection and prevention.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS SECURITY THREATS

The time is now for security teams to take the necessary steps to reduce their chances of being the next victim of a cyberattack by maturing their endpoint security. As well as some alarming facts and figures, there are also some clear recommendations that come from the report, including:

• Transforming security infrastructure - embracing cloud-first, modern technologies such as endpoint detection and response (EDR), to deliver a fully integrated solution.
• Promoting a culture of security – implementing a security-first approach to cyber security awareness that includes better education, training, and recruitment procedures.
• Improving response times – striving for the 1-10-60 paradigm, That is, detecting an intrusion in 1 minute, investigating the threat in 10 minutes and then containing and remediating the issue in 60 minutes.

TIME TO EVALUATE YOUR ENDPOINT SECURITY

The data from the report couldn’t be clearer, the threats we are facing are accelerating and no organisation is immune. Now is the time for every business to up its game and solve the imbalance between increasing threats and decreasing response times. According to the responses of the survey, security leaders must put more emphasis on maturing their endpoint security and implementing a solution to provide lightning-fast detection from the moment of intrusion.

WHERE TO BEGIN?

As part of our ongoing commitment to protect you from cybercrime, InfoTrust has created a self-assessment tool, which you can use as a guide to evaluating the current state of your Endpoint Security. Try our Endpoint Security Self-Assessment Tool today and find out how comprehensive your endpoint security solution really is.