Trellix and CSIS release report on Nation-State Cyber Threat

Cybersecurity company Trellix, that delivers the future of extended detection and response (XDR), released a global report with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), naming “In the Crosshairs: Organizations and Nation-State Cyber Threats”, examining security professionals’ mindsets towards nation-state actors.

The report found Russia and China among the most likely suspects of being behind successful cyberattacks resulting in data loss, service disruption, and industrial espionage, which led to significant costs to the organizations attacked.

The report written by CSIS highlights that the volume and severity of nation-state cyberattacks is a substantial problem for the international community and organizations are looking to governments to help solve these issues.

The report is based on research conducted by Vanson Bourne, surveying 800 IT decision makers in Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, from a variety of industries.

Organization Risk: Ninety-two percent of respondents have faced or suspect to face a nation-state backed cyberattack in the last 18 months or expect to face one in the future. The report also finds most organizations struggle to confidently and accurately determine if a cyberattack is linked to a nation-state given technical challenges and the efforts hackers go to hide their identity.

Consumer Impact: Only 33 percent of organizations reported reaching out to their customers to disclose the incident. The respondents view personally identifiable information (PII) related to either their customers or employees—as one of the main factors they would be targeted (46 percent and 40 percent respectively).

Government Guidance: The report found 92 percent of respondents were willing to share information about an attack, but not always the full details. Ninety percent of respondents think the government should do more to support and protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. In the U.S., programs like the Cyber Safety Review Board, CISA’s Shield Up and the White House’s new Office of the National Cyber Director are examples of programs governments worldwide should continue to develop to help protect critical infrastructure.