91pc of tech leaders believe Ireland’s national cybersecurity strategy is not fit for purpose, a study by Paradyn reveals.
An overwhelming majority of IT leaders believe Ireland’s national cybersecurity strategy is not fit for purpose.
That’s according to a study commissioned by cybersecurity service provider Paradign. The independent survey was carried out across 105 IT decision-makers in Ireland in July and August of this year.
“Worryingly, the overwhelming majority of technology leaders believe more attacks on other public sector organisations are imminent”
The study found that the recent attack on the HSE has had a profound effect on how businesses are viewing threats.
More ransomware attacks expected
Cillian McCarthy, CEO, Paradyn
88pc of company boards are more worried about ransomware attacks since the HSE attack, and the vast majority (97pc) believe that other high-profile public sector bodies will fall victim to ransomware attacks this year.
The biggest cyber threats are perceived to be ransomware (89pc), phishing (64pc) and malware (64pc).
In the past year, 59pc of Irish organisations have experienced phishing attacks; 57pc malware and 35pc spear phishing.
Less than one in five (17pc) have experienced a ransomware attack.
Regardless of these concerns, more than half (52pc) said their employees access or store company data on unsecured personal devices.
Only 29pc of IT leaders believe they have a cybersecurity strategy that delivers a high level of protection.
“The HSE attack significantly disrupted Ireland’s healthcare system and caused severe service interruptions for healthcare workers and citizens,” said Cillian McCarthy, CEO of Paradyn.
“Worryingly, the overwhelming majority of technology leaders believe more attacks on other public sector organisations are imminent. In addition to this, most also believe that our national cybersecurity strategy is not capable of meeting these growing threats.
“It’s imperative that all those responsible for securing government, business and citizen data take a more holistic and joined up approach, or further widescale disruption is inevitable in Ireland. There are globally recognised security frameworks, such as CIS Controls, which have proven highly effective at blocking or mitigating security attacks. We would strongly recommend that organisations here adhere to international best practices so that we’re not seen as a weaker link by cybercriminals.
“One other survey finding that jumped out is that two thirds of respondents within the Education sector believe they are not well prepared to combat cybercrime. With students now returning to schools and colleges across the country, we need to ensure the highest levels of cybersecurity in this sector too,” McCarthy warned.
