INFOGRAPHIC
“
MAKING CYBERSECURITY A PRIORITY
SHOULD START FROM THE TOP, YET THIS ISN’T
ALWAYS THE CASE: 20% OF RESPONDENTS
SAID THEIR C-LEVEL EXECUTIVE SENT
SENSITIVE DATA IN RESPONSE TO A PHISHING
ATTACK, AND 49% ADMITTED THAT THEIR
MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE TEAMS AREN’T
KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH TO IDENTIFY AND
STOP AN IMPERSONATION ATTEMPT.
Mimecast unveils
second-annual State
of Email Security report
M
imecast Limited, a leading email
and data security company, has
announced it has released its
second-annual State of Email Security report.
The report identifies the latest email-borne
threats facing organisations of all sizes and
industries globally.
Cyberattacks are on the rise. In fact, more
than 50% of organisations reported seeing
the volume of phishing attacks increase over
the last 12 months, while 40% said they saw
the volume of impersonation attacks rise.
Making cybersecurity a priority should
start from the top, yet this isn’t always the
case: 20% of respondents said their c-level
executive sent sensitive data in response to
a phishing attack, and 49% admitted that
their management and finance teams aren’t
knowledgeable enough to identify and stop
an impersonation attempt.
Nearly 40% agree that their organisation’s
CEO is a ‘weak link’ in their cybersecurity
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operation. This sentiment has increased by
nearly 30% since last year.
In fact, 31% of c-level employees are likely
to have accidentally sent sensitive data to
the wrong person in the last year compared
to just 22% of general employees. And,
20% of organisations report that sensitive
data was sent via email by a member of the
c-suite in response to a phishing email in the
past 12 months.
Nearly 40% think their CEO ‘undervalues
the role of email security’ as a key element
of their security programme.
“Email-based attacks are constantly evolving
and this research demonstrates the need
for organisations to adopt a cyber-resilience
strategy that goes beyond a defence-only
approach. This is more than just an ‘IT
problem,” said Peter Bauer, chief executive
officer of Mimecast. “It requires an
organisation-wide effort that brings together
many stakeholders, puts the right security
solutions in place and empowers employees
– from the c-suite to the reception desk – to
be the last line of defence.”
Mimecast conducted the research with
Vanson Bourne on the state of organisations’
cybersecurity, their expectations and needs
and what attacks they’ve seen increase.
Findings within the report are based on
responses received from 800 IT decision
makers and c-level executives globally and
reveals attitudes, behaviours, confidence and
preparedness levels of security professionals,
and the c-suite, when it comes to dealing
with these threats. The report also stresses
how a lack of security training for employees
can harm an organisation. It found that only
11% of organisations continuously train
employees on how to spot cyberattacks.
With 24% admitting to monthly training
and 52% performing training only quarterly
or once a year. Despite this, nearly 40% feel
that training their staff is the best way to
protect their organisation from email-
based cyberattacks. n
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