Anyone interested in information security should read PwC’s new report: Global State of Information Security Survey 2016. It is full of facts and figures, and there are special summaries for different sectors, including telecoms, technology, media, and utilities. However, telco CISOs may want to sit down before they start reading, because some of the numbers may turn their knees to jelly. Here are six key takeaways from the report.
- Telcos reported a 45 percent rise in the number of information security incidents detected, compared to the previous year. The financial losses that resulted from these incidents also grew by percent 45 percent.
- There was a 25 percent year-on-year rise in the number of incidents where customer data records were compromised.
- The increased number of detected incidents may be partly explained by improvements to security. 93 percent of telcos have implemented a risk-based security framework, and information security budgets were up 37 percent compared to last year.
- As with previous years, most security incidents were blamed on former or current employees. However, there was a sharp rise in the number of incidents linked to suppliers.
- 68 percent of telcos have an IoT security strategy or are working to develop one.
- Security also represents a business opportunity. Across all sectors, 69 percent of businesses employ cloud-based cybersecurity services and 59 percent enhance their security through the use of Big Data analytics.
PwC’s report can be freely downloaded, without needing to register first. You can obtain your copy from here.
