F5 Networks has announced the findings of a survey into current concerns in the security community, conducted at the recently held Infosecurity Europe 2016 show in London.
The survey reveals that businesses are running the risk of being exposed by cyber-attacks, with over a third (36 percent) of respondents claiming their organisation currently has no response plan in place. In an environment where cyber-attacks are increasingly common place, it is alarming more businesses are not prepared. As revealed by a recent Government report on Information Security Breaches, the average cost of a severe online security breaches for big business now starts at £1.46 million – up from £600,000 in 2014 – a cost which businesses can ill afford.
The F5 survey also highlights the broad nature of the threats security pros are facing. Asked what their top three security concerns were, network attacks (19 percent), malware (18 percent) and application data breaches (17 percent) were all highlighted, with DDoS attacks (16 percent), cloud-related data breaches (14 percent) and web fraud attacks (13 percent) closely behind.
DDoS attacks remain common, with 35 percent believing their business has either definitely or very likely suffered an attack.
When asked what their primary solution was for a DDoS attacks, respondents listed firewalls (33 percent), hybrid mitigation (17 percent) and Web Application Firewalls (WAF) (14 percent) as the top three. According to the survey, WAF is an integral part of a company’s general security infrastructure – some 74 percent of businesses either use a WAF or plan to in the future.
In terms of types of DDoS attack, respondents listed ‘blended DDoS’ attacks (26 percent) as the biggest threat followed by ‘application level’ (25 percent) and ‘volumetric-based’ (19 percent). Extortion-driven attacks (15 percent) were scored bottom – surprising considering the increasing number of cyber-ransom style attacks reported in the media.
The 2016 survey also revealed that hybrid DDoS mitigation (17 percent) was a more popular solution than an on-premise DDoS mitigation approach (15 percent). A question specifically about WAF found that 31 percent opted for on-premise and 19 percent for cloud-based solutions.
Gad Elkin, Security Director EMEA, F5, said, “It’s essential that businesses look at their entire security profile and work with providers and the market to understand where the most pressing threats are, as well as how to protect against them. The tools to support businesses are available, with options ranging from on premise implementations to as a service delivery models, meaning businesses of all sizes and profiles can ensure they’re protected at every level.”
