"Most Firms Now Fear Nation State Attack"

A new study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit has found that most businesses now regard state-sponsored or led attacks as a significant threat.  The study was done by conducting interviews with over 500 director-level or above executives from companies in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the United States.  The research was conducted before the SolarWinds campaign came to light.  The study nevertheless revealed that 80% of participants are concerned about falling victim to a nation-state attack, with a majority claiming these worries have increased over the past five years.  The researchers also found that participants wanted their respective governments to play a more significant role in meeting these challenges: 60% said their country only offers a medium or low-level of protection.  The researchers stated that the survey is an important call to action for democratic governments to step up and think more inclusively about the kind of cyber-assistance they provide to protect companies in critical sectors and ultimately civilians.  During the study, researchers also found a false sense of security among the senior executives interviewed, potentially because they have little direct experience of being attacked.  Over two-thirds (68%) of executives said they feel their organization is “very” or “completely” prepared to deal with a cyber-attack.  

Infosecurity reports: "Most Firms Now Fear Nation State Attack"