Security Professionals Give Global Cybersecurity a “C” Grade

In a new survey conducted by Tenable in partnership with research firm CyberEdge Group, 504 information security practitioners worldwide were asked a series of questions to calculate their overall confidence levels that the world’s cyber defenses are meeting expectations. Global cybersecurity readiness earned a score of just 76%, or a C average. And approximately 40% of respondents said they feel “about the same” or “more pessimistic” about their organizations’ ability to defend against cyber attacks compared to last year.

Security professionals are clearly overwhelmed by an increasingly complex and challenging threat environment, and shaken by the continuing occurrence of major breaches. In particular, security pros named their biggest challenges as cloud infrastructures, mobile device proliferation, and the level of board member involvement with cyber risk issues. However, most respondents do believe that they have effective cybersecurity tools in place.

Global cybersecurity readiness earned a score of just 76%

The survey includes responses from 6 countries and 7 industries, including government, education, healthcare and financial services to name a few. Practitioners in the US rated the state of national cybersecurity at 80% or a B-, while Australian respondents perceive their country’s cyber readiness at 69%. Scores are also calculated for specific industry verticals.

You can access the full report, 2016 Global Cybersecurity Assurance Report Card, on the Tenable website. You can also register for an upcoming December webinar, 2016 Cybersecurity Assurance Report Card: Key Insights and Takeaways (US, APAC, or EMEA). Cris Thomas, Tenable Strategist, and Steve Piper, CEO of the CyberEdge Group, will interpret the survey results and help you benchmark the effectiveness of your practices.