Fewer than 10% of APAC companies understand how cyber-attacks are performed

• Online survey conducted in eight countries across Asia Pacific
• Only 25% confident that they are fully prepared for cyber-attacks

 
FEWER than 1 in 10 companies in Asia Pacific fully understand how cyber-attacks are performed, according to a cybersecurity benchmarking online survey conducted by Trend Micro Inc.
 
Based on the survey responses contributed by 300 companies operating in eight countries across the region – Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan – the lack of cybersecurity awareness is prevalent among enterprises, the company said in a statement.
 
Close to 50% of those surveyed indicate that there is no security awareness programme in their organisations, and as a result, 59% attribute ‘employees’ lack of knowledge’ as the biggest insider threat.
 
This is in addition to other threats such as corporate espionage (10%), disgruntled employees/ex-employees (13%), employee theft (6%), and compromised credentials (12%), Trend Micro said.
 
The survey also found that only 25% of companies are confident that they are fully prepared for cyber-attacks, while close to 50% anticipate a targeted cyber-attack in 2016.
 
“Cyberthreats are real. Furthermore, with the rapid adoption of digitisation, cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT), cyberthreats are becoming more personal and more complicated,” said Trend Micro’s Asia Pacific managing director and vice president Dhanya Thakkar (pic).
 
“The first and foremost step towards implementing a sound cybersecurity strategy is for businesses to take control internally of people, systems and processes.
 
“Humans can be vulnerable – however, the weakness can be turned into the most effective defence line when empowered with the right mindset and knowledge.
 
“Companies should enforce rigorous security awareness programmes, implement regular real-life security drills and encourage people to constantly upgrade skills in order to be fully prepared in the face of ongoing threats,” he added.
 
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