A new report released by Bridewell Consulting found that over one third of critical national infrastructure security leaders are concerned over insider threats that may arise from economic downturn. The report polled 1025 individuals who have pertinent roles in cybersecurity for companies located in the US and UK in the communications, transportation, government, finance, utilities, and aviation sectors. The report found that many of the individuals are concerned over the risk of economic hardship forcing employees to turn to data theft and sabotage. Last year, organizations in the financial services sector was hit worse by insider attacks, however, the total figure targeting critical infrastructure firms surged by 62% in the past year.
Additionally, the majority of US firms surveyed stated that there had been a reduction in their cybersecurity budget, perhaps due to the economic downturn. The communications sector has been the least impacted by cybersecurity budget cuts, while transport and aviation have suffered the most. The current economic pressures provide a pathway for cybercriminals to exploit the vulnerabilities of employees and organizations, Bridewell says.
Read More: Critical Infrastructure Firms Concerned Over Insider Threat
