How has COVID-19 affected cybersecurity?

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When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down offices in early 2020, the enterprise cybersecurity threat landscape expanded — as did the roles of chief information security officers (CISOs), many of whom needed to react quickly to protect their growing networks and support remote work environments.

In a survey of 108 information security professionals at public and private sector organizations around the world, CISOs reflected on how cybersecurity has shifted over the past years and reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Information Security Maturity Report 2022 from ClubCISO powered by Telstra Purple found that 70% of cybersecurity teams extended or retained influence in their organizations in 2022 compared to previous pandemic years.

In 2021, 88% of organizations felt that their existing security capabilities held up well against the shifting threat landscape caused by COVID-19. In 2022, public and private sector cybersecurity professionals reported additional security strategies and innovation being put in place post-pandemic, including:

Cybersecurity monitoring, analytics & threat hunting (58%)
Security awareness programs (57%)
Cloud security measures (54%)

CISOs and other information security leaders reported their top concerns in 2022 to be insufficient staff (57%); the speed of business development (43%); budget (31%); shadow IT (29%); and supply chain issues (29%).

Overall, 46% of cybersecurity professionals saw a positive change in their organization's security culture due to the advent of hybrid and remote work.

For more cybersecurity insights, read the report.

Madeline Lauver is the Editor in Chief of Security magazine. Lauver joined Security in 2021 as its Assistant Editor, and she covers news affecting enterprise security leaders, including physical security, cybersecurity, leadership and management, risk and resilience and more. Within her role at Security, Lauver focuses on news articles, web exclusives, features and several departments for Security’s monthly digital edition, as well as managing social media and multimedia content. Lauver graduated in 2019 with a B.A. in English, German and Media Studies from Kalamazoo College.

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