Research Insights: The Global Risks Report 2021

The Global Risks Report 2021

The Global Risks Report 2021

In response to the World Economic Forum’s Annual Global Risk Report that ranks cybersecurity failure 4th in highest likelihood risks of the next ten years in the ‘clear and present danger’ section, cybersecurity experts at Cerberus Sentinel and KnowBe4 offer perspective. More information here: https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-risks-report-2021

Research Insights:

Chris Clements, VP of Solutions Architecture, Cerberus Sentinel

“As our world becomes increasingly intertwined with network connected devices and services the threat of significant disruption due to cyber-attack grows ever more substantial.  Cybercrime remains a lucrative business. Criminal gangs extort millions of dollars from their victims and in addition to funding lavish lifestyles for the members provide ample budget for developing powerful hacking tools and purchasing zero-day exploits.  Against such sophisticated threats the vast majority of defenders don’t stand a chance.  It’s often shocking to the security professionals tasked with protecting and organization and its data just how easy it is to bypass or defeat security controls like anti-virus or how fast attackers can crack passwords.

Beyond business disruption these attacks will increasingly affect the health and safety of people- we’ve already witnessed the death of a woman in Germany in 2020 directly attributed to a ransomware attack on a healthcare provider.”

Javvad Malik, Security Awareness Advocate, KnowBe4

“As technology has engulfed every aspect of life and society, it is no surprise that cybersecurity failure is viewed as a clear and present danger. Given the trends of recent years, breaches have shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, the impact of breaches have risen, not just in terms of financial cost, but impacting individuals privacy and livelihood.

It’s also good to see digital inequality captured as a risk. It can be easy to overlook digital inequality. But without the latest devices or fast internet connectivity, many people are left behind in terms of cyber security as well as learning opportunities.

Collectively, it is important that a culture of cybersecurity is embedded globally from manufacturers, to designers, to resellers, implementers, and users. Cyber security should not be for the privileged few, and neither should it require so much user interaction that it becomes overlooked. Only then will we begin to see changes which are needed to address some of these most pressing issues.”