A new survey found that fewer than 25 percent of companies have incorporated an active defense of their control systems and assets.
The survey, released today by the Control System Cyber Security Association International (CS)2AI and KPMG, also found that 20.6 percent of companies say security awareness training programs are non-existent at their companies, while another 6 percent don't know if such a program exists at their company.
“The survey reveals a clear relationship between the failure to focus on the data and metrics needed to enhance security, as well as inadequate levels of maturity for OT security programs,” says Derek Harp, founder and chairman of (CS)2AI.
The report was based on a survey from a representative sampling of some 16,000 CS/OT professionals across multiple industries, such as utilities, transportation, manufacturing, information technology services, hospitals, and construction.
Some notable findings based on an analysis of organizations with more mature security programs compared to those with less mature programs, reveals that companies with more mature programs:
- Use managed security services much more often: 47 percent vs. 6 percent.
- Conduct end-to-end security assessments more frequently: 53 percent vs. 36 percent
- Frequently replace vulnerable hardware or software after assessment: 63 percent vs. 34 percent
- Monitor all networks: 53 percent vs. 16 percent
Survey respondents also said the three biggest obstacles holding them back are insufficient security expertise (60 percent); insufficient personnel (48 percent); and insufficient leadership support (40 percent). On the plus side, 58.7 percent said they either planned to implement network security monitoring in the next 12 to 24 months or had a pilot project in place.
