Almost three-quarters (73%) of nearly 700 board members in a new study believe they are at risk of a “targeted" cyberattack, a sizable increase from the 65% last year, according to a recently released Proofpoint report.
The cybersecurity and compliance provider’s second annual Cybersecurity: The 2023 Board Perspective report assesses board of directors’ views on the global threat landscape, cybersecurity priorities and relationships with chief information security officers (CISOs). More than half (53%) of the 659 respondents think their organizations are unprepared to cope with a targeted attack, up from 47% the previous year.
Today's Volatile Threat Landscape Examined
The year-over-year change may reflect the ongoing volatility of the threat landscape, Proofpoint said, in addition to the mistrust of generative artificial intelligence as a security threat to their organization.
Still, 73% view cybersecurity as a priority, 72% believe their board clearly understands the cyber risks they face, and 70% believe they have adequately invested in cybersecurity.
“The newfound alignment between board members and their CISOs on cyber risk and preparedness is a positive sign that the two sides are working closer together and making progress,” said Ryan Kalember, executive vice president of Cybersecurity Strategy at Proofpoint. “However, this growing alliance hasn’t yet delivered significant changes in cybersecurity posture, despite boards feeling good about the time and resources they’re investing to combat this risk.”
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Key global findings from the report include:
Final Thoughts
“Board members are taking cybersecurity matters seriously, demonstrating they have no illusions about human risk and the impact cyber threats pose to an organization’s bottom line," Kalember said. "They are making strides in their relationships with security leaders, understanding that strong board-CISO partnerships are more critical than ever. But this is not a time to grow complacent. Boards must continue to invest heavily in improving preparedness and organizational resilience.”
Data for the study were gleaned from input of board members at organizations with 5,000 or more employees across different industries. In June 2023, more than 50 board directors were surveyed in each market in each of the following 12 countries: the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico.
