As the tactics cybercriminals use become more complex, so do the risks facing organizations. Despite this ever-changing threat landscape, only 46%1 of cyber leaders believe their organizations are prepared for the next attack.
This shaky confidence is jarring, as it indicates a lack of resilience across company sizes and industries. To address this issue, security leaders must take proactive measures to evolve their security programs.
Below, we explore the five most common issues that result in lack of cyber resilience – and solutions for overcoming them.
1. Over-reliance on the tech stack
While tools and tech are a vital foundation of cyber resilience, they alone cannot protect against an attack. Given the evolving nature of vulnerabilities and exploits, organizations need people capable of ongoing upskilling to meet the changing realities of cyber threats. By equipping teams with continuous education and hands-on experience, leaders can build a resilient workforce prepared to handle emerging threats.
2. Outdated training methods
Traditional cybersecurity training methods fall short in two key areas; they have a short shelf life and often fail to deliver realistic scenarios. These factors lead to workforces that are inadequately prepared for new and emerging threats. Without continuously assessing staff capabilities through ongoing real-world exercising, building true cyber resilience is impossible. Leaders must shift focus from stagnant, one-off training sessions to a holistic, immersive approach. By gaining an understanding of both individual and team ability, organizations can target weaknesses to build a more resilient workforce.
3. No emphasis on upskilling
Less than half1 of organizations upskill their cybersecurity teams to meet the demands of current threats and tools. Organizations that prioritize investing in continuous exercising not only gain a better-prepared workforce, but also the assurance that teams have the skills necessary to confront the current threat landscape. This emphasis on upskilling is vital to cyber resilience, as it ensures both business and security needs are met across the workforce.
4. Lack of exercising
The difference between exercising and training is vast. While the latter emphasizes a point-in-time improvement, the other focuses on ongoing strengthening and growth. Too often, however, organizations prioritize static training, creating vulnerabilities across their organizations. In fact, only 38%1 of companies currently conduct critical breach simulation exercises. Simulation exercising enables individuals to experience real-life cyber crisis events, including the ability to see how their decisions – right or wrong – play out in real time. Real-world exercising ultimately empowers individuals and teams through practicing on actual threats to gain muscle memory, ultimately preparing them for future attacks and growing their confidence.
5. Missing Metrics
Proving resilience is challenging without the appropriate metrics, and traditional training methods don’t deliver figures that provide real visibility. While a 100% score on an annual exercise may be an indicator of know-how, a percentage does not impart how a team may work together when facing a breach. Armed with better visibility into performance metrics, organizations can gain a holistic view of their organization’s abilities both on an individual and team basis.
Ultimately, increasing cyber resilience starts with increasing focus on people. By adopting a people-centric cybersecurity stance, organizations can upskill and exercise existing talent, building a more capable, more resilient workforce.
To learn more about increasing cyber resilience to ready teams for the next emerging threat, click here.
1 Cyber Leaders Need A More Effective Approach To Building And Proving Cyber Resilience. A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Immersive Labs, March 2023.
