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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on CybersecurityThe COVID-19 pandemic has presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for hackers and online scammers, and cybersecurity professionals saw a 63 percent increase in cyber-attacks related to the pandemic, according to a survey released by the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and independent industry analyst firm Enterprise Strategy Group (News - Alert) (ESG). As the global impact of COVID-19 manifested itself in the middle of March, ESG and ISSA conducted an in-depth survey in April 2020 as a point in time assessment of challenges posed by the pandemic. Based on the data gathered for this project, the report highlights the following:
"COVID-19 had a wide-ranging impact on individuals on the security staff. With 84 percent of cybersecurity professionals working exclusively from home during the pandemic and almost two-thirds believing that their organizations will be more flexible with work-at-home policies moving forward, COVID-19 has personally impacted cybersecurity professionals in their jobs and in their lives. This is in addition to the ongoing impact on organizations and security teams from the yearly worsening problem of the cybersecurity skills shortage," Jon Oltsik, Senior Principal Analyst and ESG Fellow. "While it's promising to see that the majority of organizations were able to handle the COVID-19 pandemic fairly well, it is surprising that we are not seeing an increase in cybersecurity spending or prioritization following this event. If anything this should serve as a wakeup call that cybersecurity is what enables businesses to remain open and operational. Organizations prioritizing cybersecurity as a result of the pandemic will likely emerge as leaders in the next wave of cybersecurity process innovation and best practices," said Candy Alexander, Board President, ISSA International. Downloads
About ISSA The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA)™ is the community of choice for international cyber security professionals dedicated to advancing individual growth, managing technology risk, and protecting critical information and infrastructure. ISSA members and award winners include many of the industry's notable luminaries and represent a broad range of industries - from communications, education, healthcare, manufacturing, financial and consulting to IT - as well as federal, state and local government departments and agencies. Through regional chapter meetings, conferences, networking events and content, members tap into a wealth of shared knowledge and expertise. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @ISSAINTL. Learn more about ISSA. About ESG Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) is an integrated technology analyst, research, and strategy firm providing market intelligence and actionable insight to the global technology community. ESG is increasingly recognized as one of the world's leading and most influential independent analyst firms. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005642/en/ |