CCBA Survey Finds North Texas Businesses Cite Cyberattacks as a Top Business Concern
Preventing a diverse range of cyberattacks is a priority for businesses
The threat of cyberattack is a top concern for business professionals recently surveyed at the Cybersecurity Leadership Forum in Plano, which was organized by the Collin County Business Alliance (CCBA). The majority (60 percent) of those surveyed are very concerned about the consequences of a cyberattack, and an additional 25 percent are somewhat concerned. Only eight percent do not view a cyberattack as a concern for their business. More details regarding the views of Cybersecurity Leadership Forum attendees are available here.
More than half – 60 percent – of those surveyed discuss cybersecurity in their leadership meetings, and 20 percent of all respondents said that cybersecurity is always a leadership meeting topic.
Prevention is top of mind for survey respondents with the majority (69 percent) saying they plan to increase spending on cybersecurity over the next three years. 36 percent of all respondents say they plan a significant increase. Thirty eight percent report that they focus on prevention, while 11 percent are focused on responding. Thirty percent give equal weight to prevention and response.
“Cybersecurity is bigger than any one business or any one government entity. Most importantly, it directly impacts consumers and taxpayers,” said CCBA Chairman and Capital One Financial Services President, Sanjiv Yajnik. “It’s something the CCBA board constantly talks about being top of mind, and so we decided to bring the conversation to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The result was that others beyond the CCBA board could engage in a frank exchange of ideas with businesses, governments and third-party organizations.”
Cyberattacks can take different forms. Respondents selected what concerned them most:
- 43 percent chose phishing/smishing
- 23 percent cited vulnerabilities within applications
- 13 percent are most concerned about threats from inside, whether employees or contractors
- 11 percent see point-of-sale intrusion as their top cybercrime concern.
One quarter of those surveyed cited employee compliance with information security policies as the weakest link in security protocols for their business. Fifteen percent identified weak or outdated company software as a concern, and 13 percent pointed to devices such as laptops and smartphones as the weakest links.
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and this event is the CCBA’s contribution to continuing this extremely important conversation by enabling the North Texas business community to engage in a frank exchange of ideas with other businesses, governments and third-party organizations.
CCBA conducted a survey of conference attendees at the Cybersecurity Leadership Forum in Dallas, on October 2, 2015. The survey was developed to gauge sentiment regarding cybersecurity and cybercrime among North Texas business leaders and professionals. Percentages are based on 51 responses.