Security professionals are more concerned than ever by the threat of cybercrime, according to new poll.
The Black Hat Attendee Survey 2016 – the second of its kind – found that 72% of cyber experts anticipate having to deal with a major data breach over the next year.
This view is in response to the growing incidences of cybercrime, most notably data breaches.
Against this backdrop, one of the main concerns of security professionals is the lack of resources at their disposal.
“Perhaps the most important conclusion we can draw from the survey is that the pressures on security professionals are not letting up."
The survey showed, for example, that 74% of respondents are of the opinion that there is a staff shortage, meaning they feel ill-equipped to appropriately defend their organizations.
When it comes to concerns over particular cyberthreats, social engineering was cited as the main cause of unease (43%).
In terms of relatively newer threats, ransomware was described as the chief concern, with 37% of respondents saying the ‘rapid’ increase in its use over the last 12 months is troubling.
“Perhaps the most important conclusion we can draw from the survey is that the pressures on security professionals are not letting up,” the authors noted.
“In fact, they are intensifying. In nearly every question and category, Black Hat attendees indicated that their environments are more at risk this year than they were last year.”
In related news, KPMG recently released a new report highlighting the growing threat posed by cybercrime.
Eight in every ten cybersecurity executives revealed that their organization had experienced an attack.
