Abnormal Security Emphasizes Need for Expanded Safeguards in Today's Digital Communication Landscape

The digital world has transformed how we work, shaping modes of communication and collaboration. However, these advancements have also led to new vulnerabilities, which threat actors are increasingly leveraging to circumvent traditional security measures.

Abnormal Security, a provider of behavioral AI-based email security, has shone a spotlight on this issue, releasing a report based on a survey conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group (News - Alert) (ESG) to gauge how organizations are dealing with emerging threat vectors due to the rise in cloud-based communication and collaboration applications.

As the shift towards remote and distributed work models continues, organizations are increasingly reliant on various digital communication tools. An astonishing 47% of the respondents indicated they are currently using between six to 10 communication and collaboration tools concurrently. Among these tools, video conferencing emerged as the most utilized tool (80%), followed by email (77%) and messaging (71%).

Yet, the convenience and productivity boost these tools offer come with a downside, i.e. increased vulnerability to cyber attacks. Threat actors continue to find new avenues for attack through these additional communication channels.

The report highlighted that:

Over two-thirds of respondents expressed concerns about attackers exploiting communication and collaboration channels beyond email to bypass security controls.

More than half of respondents reported experiencing weekly or even daily social engineering attacks across various tools.

Ransomware, phishing and malware deployment were identified as the top three threats that leaders fear will infiltrate their communication and collaboration tools.

'Most are the same types of attacks that were previously targeted at email, creating an opportunity to extend and leverage proven email security controls with an expanded view across multiple channels,' noted Dave Gruber, principal analyst at ESG.

Fortunately, organizations are responding to these challenges by prioritizing the strengthening of security across all communication and collaboration channels. More than a quarter (27%) of respondents considered this their top priority, with another 54% ranking it within their top three priorities.

Mike Britton, Chief Information Security officer at Abnormal, highlighted the need for threat detection capabilities beyond the email inbox. 'IT and security leaders need to ensure they're employing scalable threat detection capabilities beyond the email inbox, and this is precisely what Abnormal is delivering today,' he said. 'Now, customers can have comprehensive protection across their broader communications landscape to prevent multi-channel attacks and those that target collaboration platforms for their initial entry.'

The demand for enhanced security solutions in the realm of digital communication and collaboration is a growing trend, especially as remote work continues to gain popularity. A study by Global Market Insights predicts that the cybersecurity market size will surpass $400 billion by 2026, driven by the increasing adoption of digital solutions in businesses and the subsequent need to protect sensitive data from sophisticated threats.

Abnormal Security's report underscores the importance of securing an overabundance of communication and collaboration tools in today's digital age. As digital workspaces continue to evolve, so too must our approaches to cybersecurity, thus requiring more comprehensive and proactive measures to safeguard dynamic digital communication landscapes.

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