Concerns, risks and confidence - what about the IT security of German companies? Infoblox's 2022 Global State of Security Report reveals where and how the human factor is at work in security.
The last two pandemic years have turned IT security in companies upside down. In its "Global State of Security Report 2022", Infoblox, a leading provider of cloud-first DNS management and security, looks at the fears and dangers as well as the measures that security managers in companies are taking to manage the increasingly complex IT landscape to secure. This shows that the human factor is decisive in many respects.
The human factor is often decisive
“Technically, a lot can be controlled and protected. The human factor is an uncontrollable factor,” commented a study participant from a medium-sized German transport company. Thomas Gerch, Sales Director Central Europe at Infoblox, adds: “The German results of the Global State of Security Report illustrate a major problem for all those responsible for security: On the one hand, employees must be trained and made aware. At the same time, private end devices must also be checked. Otherwise they threaten to become an elementary threat to the IT security of companies.”
The human factor in cybersecurity
- Vulnerability private end devices: More than half (54%) of all German respondents experienced up to five security-related incidents in the past year. Also, about half (51%) indicated that none of the IT incidents in their organization resulted in a security breach. This gives hope that current measures to protect remote workers and customers are working, at least to some extent. Of those who suffered a security breach, employee personal devices (37%), unpatched DDI or other network devices (33%), or insiders (24%) were responsible for the incidents.
- Fear of Insider Threats: German companies are most concerned about vulnerability to data leaks, ransomware and attacks via remote employee connections. Almost half of respondents (48%) were most concerned about the potential for ransomware and data breaches over the next 12 months. They were also concerned that attackers were targeting remote worker connections (37%) and cloud services (35%). They also believe they are the least prepared for insider threats (23%), data leaks and government-sponsored attacks (16%).
- Widespread phishing scam as a sign of poor employee training: Phishing was responsible for the vast majority (67%) of security breaches reported in the last 12 months, followed closely by ransomware at 53%. Successful phishing attacks are usually a sign that security training for employees and customers is necessary or did not bring the desired effect.
- Sign-up details are in high demand: Top attack vectors included credential hijacking (55%), data exfiltration (43%), and command and control center (31%). Once in the system, attackers experienced system failures or downtime (51%), theft or disclosure of sensitive data (31%), or malware infections (29%). 61% of those surveyed suffered direct and indirect damages of up to US$1 million (€882.690).
Optimistic about the future
However, the “Global State of Security” study not only shows where people are at stake in IT security. In addition to a brief review of the pandemic, it also offers an outlook into the future, which can certainly give cause for optimism.
Measures for successful threat prevention
- Fast reaction time: More than two thirds of German companies (69%) stated that they are generally able to react to a threat within 24 hours. The most popular threat-hunting tools include DNS queries (46%), flow data from the network (41%), and third-party native threat intelligence detection and native vulnerability information (37%). Looking to the future, remote monitoring (43%) and a lack of financial resources (24%) in particular will impair the ability of many German companies to protect themselves against IT attacks.
- DNS relieves corporate perimeter defenses: In Germany, DNS queries are among the most important defense instruments used by companies under attack. A closer look at DNS usage reveals that the Domain Name System is primarily used to detect devices sending requests to malicious addresses (49%) and to block malicious traffic and offload other perimeter protections (48 %). Additionally, 47% of respondents use DNS to protect against threats like DNS tunneling and to detect malware activity earlier in the kill chain.
- Investments in networks, data and the cloud: The security budgets of most German companies (63%) increased in 2021. 71% expect another increase in 2022. The most popular on-premise investments include network security (29%), end-point protection (27%) and DNS security (23%). When it comes to cloud-based investments, cloud access security brokers (29%) and secure web gateways (24%) take the top spots. Those adopting a hybrid approach are most likely to opt for hybrid versions of network security tools and traffic monitoring (44%), as well as VPNs or other access control solutions (42%).
- Interest in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) frameworks is growing: With the shift of assets, access and security components from the network center to the edge and increasing virtualization, 47% of German companies have already partially or fully implemented SASE and another 34% intend to do so. Either through one (51%) or multiple providers (49%).
🔎 Global State of Security Report 2022 (Image: Infoblox).
“The rapid shift to remote work over the course of the pandemic brought safety risks as well as benefits, such as keeping the economy afloat during a long period of uncertainty during the pandemic. This has prompted a rethink in IT security, with the goal of protecting the decentralized workforce and preventing a new dimension of 'home network invasion'. Businesses are now more willing to invest in cybersecurity solutions to fill technology and staffing gaps, and to remotely train and secure employees who are no longer working in secure areas. This study could at least be an indication of this,” says Thomas Gerch.
About the 2022 Global State of Security Report study
Infoblox's 2022 Global State of Security Report survey aimed to gain better insight into the state of IT security around the world, including the impact remote workers are having on organizations. To this end, the Business Intelligence Unit of the CyberRisk Alliance surveyed 2022 IT and cybersecurity experts in 1.100 countries on behalf of Infoblox in early 11. Among them were 100 participants from small, medium-sized and large companies in Germany, from executives to senior analysts. They represent the manufacturing (21%), financial services (14%), business/professional services (12%) and high-tech (11%) sectors.
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About Infoblox
Infoblox is the market leader in Next Generation DNS management and security. More than 12.000 customers, including 70% of the Fortune 500, trust Infoblox to scale, simplify, and secure their hybrid networks to meet the modern challenges of a cloud-first world.