Information security experts believe that cybercriminals win the “arms race”

Fortinet today announced the results of a new survey commissioned by Forbes Insights, a cyber security research firm. Respondents are convinced that cybercriminals are win in the “arms race”.

The report is called the Forbes Making Tough Choices Report – How CISOs Manage Escalating Threats and Limited Resources.

During the study, Forbes Insights interviewed CIOs from various industries about the biggest challenges they face and the strategies they use to overcome these challenges.

The survey found that 84% of information security directors are confident that the risks of cyberattacks are inevitable, and almost a quarter believe that the ability of attackers is far ahead of their own ability to protect their organizations.

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Limited resources, including a lack of funding and a shortage of qualified specialists, as well as a rapid expansion of the attack surface and a significant complication of the nature of threats, exacerbate this problem.

Information security directors understand the necessity of having appropriate strategies in the organization, since they are faced with a real “arms race” – between the capabilities of attackers and their own defensive positions.

“The survey conducted by Forbes Insights reflects the main issues that we hear directly from current and potential Fortinet customers. Today’s directors of information security have a difficult task to allocate limited funds and resources for the implementation of highly effective cybersecurity projects. It’s not an easy task for management to achieve maximum security having only limited resources, and to maintain a balance between strategic responsibilities and tactical issues” – said John Maddison, Executive Vice President, Fortinet Products.

Other findings from the Forbes Insights report:

1. CIOs are increasingly deploying artificial intelligence technologies to protect their infrastructure. Forty-eight percent of information security directors are working on the integration of security technologies into their network operations, and 45% are transforming their cybersecurity strategy in order to gain advanced analytics and increase the transparency of their environments. Artificial intelligence frees IT employees from routine processes, so they can focus on business-critical tasks, such as detecting abnormal behavior in their networks or responding quickly to threats.
2. CIOs would like to devote more money to threat detection and response systems. According to the survey, IT executives currently spend an average of 36% of their budget on threat response systems. However, in an ideal world, they would like to invest resources not in threat prevention solutions, but in threat detection and response systems. According to the survey, they would like to increase the share of their budget for response systems to 40%.
3. A key factor in ensuring safety is employee development and training. According to a Forbes Insights survey, CIOs believe that staffing shortages and lack of training have a significant impact on their organizations.
4. Information Security Directors have to work in the absence of adequate funding. Despite the fact that the nature of threats is constantly improving, information security directors believe that the resources available to them, including financing, remain very modest.