A look at how COVID-19 challenged security leaders

To mark the anniversary of the shift to remote work due to the pandemic, Randori surveyed 400 security decision-makers to understand how the community was impacted and how they’ve responded to the security challenges of the COVID-19 era.

Key findings include:

Risks from Shadow IT Grew During COVID-19

• 3 out of 4 of security leaders saw attacks increase during the pandemic
• 55% of security practitioners agree that protecting their attack surface has become more difficult since the pandemic started
• 1 in 2 understand less than 75% of their real world attack surface
• 42% have been compromised because of shadow IT

Spending is Up, but Not All are Getting Help

• 55% of security teams increased spending
• 44% organizations grew their security teams 
• But 1 in 4 organizations cut security staff 

K Shaped Recovery in Security 

• Half of security leaders increased spend and 44% added new security team members
• But 1 in 4 security leaders faced layoffs, working with fewer resources than pre-pandemic

CISO Risk Tolerance On the Rise

• 76% agree that breaches are in inevitability and 2/3 know that certain assets can be compromised without harm to their brand
• Yet 67% struggle to prioritize what to patch first
• 85% of security leaders claim to have a clear picture of their attack surface, but when asked what percent of their attack surface they are aware of, 48% admit to only knowing about 50% or less

Source: https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/94839-a-look-at-how-covid-19-challenged-security-leaders