New Zealand business professionals, along with their Australian counterparts, feel that a security breach is imminent in 2015, with 61 per cent expecting a cyberattack this year.
A new global survey of more than 3,400 members of IT association ISACA shows that close to half (46 per cent) of respondents expect their organisation to face a cyberattack in 2015.
According to the security firm, this is concerning, since less than half of ANZ IT professionals (43 per cent) say they are prepared, likely due to a global shortage of skilled cybersecurity personnel.
Alarmingly, more than 85 per cent of ANZ members surveyed believe there is a shortage of skilled cyber security professionals, and similarly 85 per cent of ISACA’s local survey respondents whose businesses will be hiring cybersecurity professionals in 2015 say it will be difficult to find skilled candidates.
“Data breaches at a series of well-known retailers in 2014 made the issue of data security highly visible to consumers and highlighted the struggles that companies face in keeping data safe," says Garry Barnes, ISACA International Vice President and Governance Advisory Practice Lead at Vital Interacts, based in Sydney.
"Given the latest news of a large Australian travel insurance company being hacked, we expect the problem is set to increase.
"Local companies and government entities must be prepared to address issue of cybersecurity head on and ensure their organisations are ready to respond swiftly if attacked."
Echoing Barnes' statement, Robert E Stroud, CGEIT, CRISC, international president of ISACA and vice president of strategy and innovation at CA Technologies, says ISACA supports increased discussion and activity to address escalating high-profile cyberattacks on organisations worldwide.
“As government leaders call for action, we hope they take a clear and straight-forward approach, working in close coordination with industry," he adds.
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"Cyber security is everyone’s business, and creating a workforce trained to prevent and respond to today’s sophisticated attacks is a critical priority.”