As October brought cyber security awareness month into the spotlight, new research conducted by Genetec Inc, a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, reveals that cyber security remains a key concern for physical security experts.
Based on insights from over 5,500 physical security leaders from around the world, the research shows that while organisations are putting in place new processes to protect themselves, the level of concern about potential cyber threats continues to increase.
Close to a third (31%) of end-user respondents indicated that their organisation was targeted by cyber threat actors in 2023. Some sectors were far more affected than others. 73% of respondents in the intelligence and national security sector and 46% in the banking and finance sector said they were the victims of cyber-attacks compared to 21% in the retail sector.
Cyber security vulnerabilities were identified by 36% of end-user respondents as a top challenge facing their organisations in 2023. In the healthcare sector, cyber security vulnerabilities were identified by a higher percentage of respondents than any other challenge (43%). This is perhaps not surprising considering the high-profile cyber-attacks on healthcare providers in recent years.
Organisations are being more proactive than ever with 42% of end-user respondents indicating that their organisations are deploying cyber security-related tools in their physical security environments. This is a significant increase compared to last year when only 27% said they had put in place processes to protect themselves.
“It is reassuring to see growing awareness of the cyber security of physical security systems,” says Mathieu Chevalier, Principal Security Architect at Genetec Inc. “As more organisations look to implement enhanced cyber security measures, they need to look for manufacturers who are committed to cyber security and building tools that help them streamline the maintenance and updates of their systems.”
