Human error still a major security risk

Despite organizations continued attempts to improve their cybersecurity positioning, new research from BAE Systems has revealed that human error is still a major vulnerability in network security.

To compile its latest incident response report, the firm surveyed board level executives, IT decision makers and security professionals to better understand the current state of corporate incident response capabilities and readiness.

A major finding from the results of BAE Systems' research showcases how many organizational breaches are caused by human error as cybercriminals prey on human nature and employees that make honest, though costly, mistakes in the workplace.

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Of the breaches caused by human error examined by the firm, 71 percent led to phishing attacks while 65 percent resulted in untargeted viruses or malware.

Rise in incidents

BAE Systems also discovered that incident response teams are dealing with an increasing number of incidents per month.

Of the organizations surveyed, 66 percent responded to between one and 25 cybersecurity incidents per month, 26 percent responded to between 25 and 99 incidents per month and almost eight percent responded to 100 or more incidents per month.

The research also revealed that many organizations are just not prepared to respond to cyber threats with 23 percent of incident response teams not conducting readiness exercises with senior management while 22 percent only have temporary or no incident response resources in place.

To help organizations deal with today's growing cyber threats, BAE Systems has published its 22019 incident response report, 'Why Ignoring Incident Response Could Spell Disaster'.