Protecting access points and identities is critical for campus IT

The future of cybersecurity is in protecting access points and identities–hackers are looking for the path of least resistance into mission-critical applications and assets, whether that’s a vulnerable access point or a poorly secured credential, according to a new report.

Treading Water: The State of Cybersecurity and Third-Party Remote Access Risk, a report from SecureLink, a provider of critical access management, and Ponemon Institute, reveals that organizations have made no significant progress in mitigating cyberattacks and have, in fact, experienced an increase in third-party attacks over the past year.

The report highlights that while the pandemic-accelerated adoption of cloud-enabled solutions and remote access have transformed industries, organizations’ security strategies lag behind these new technologies. Almost 60% of organizations have made changes to their cybersecurity structure in response to an increasing volume of cyber threats. Despite this, 49% of these organizations have experienced third-party attacks in the past 12 months compared to just 44% in the prior 12 months.

“The larger trend of moving to SaaS and cloud technologies means more organizations rely on third parties for core business practices, which in turn opens them up to greater cyberattacks,” commented Joel Burleson-Davis, SecureLink’s Chief Technology Officer. “What this report makes very clear is that third-party access and control is something every single company has to solve. And while no single software can solve all of today’s cybersecurity problems, upfront investment in trusted solutions that secure all access points and integrate with existing technology, will always pay off—especially when the cost of cyberattacks is so high.”

One of the biggest barriers to meaningful cybersecurity reform is the growing complexity of security strategies, with 67% of organizations reporting that the complexity of a system is a primary consideration when determining how they can improve their cybersecurity infrastructure. Limited budgets and labor shortages, which have made it difficult to hire and train expert personnel, are also preventing organizations from making improvements to their security strategies.

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Laura Ascione

Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland's prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.