Lack of resources thwarting cyber security threat hunting

Security teams lack the resources and time to proactively search for threats

Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of organisations fail to employ ‘threat hunters' due to a lack of resources.

That's according to a new report from Computing and Carbon Black that gauges the opportunities and obstacles facing a more proactive approach to cyber security, known as threat hunting.

In addition to those who steer clear due to time constraints, a further 23.4 per cent do not use threat hunters due to a lack of time, signalling the strain cyber security teams are under.

The finding echoes reports this week concerning the Government Cyber Governance Health Check 2018's revelation that only 16 per cent of the boards of UK's FTSE 350 companies have a sound understanding of the potential impact that a cyber-attack could have on their organisation.

Computing's research into threat hunting reinforces these findings, highlighting a lack of board-level buy-in when it comes to a proactively seeking out security weaknesses and breaches. As the report explains:

"It's true that threat hunting offers business benefits, such as increased control and the ability to counter ever-more complex cyber attacks. But leadership buy-in is key to investment in threat hunting. This is partly about positioning ROI in the right way. It's also about budgets.

"According to our survey, a third of boards demand provable ROI on security operations. It's certainly a challenge, and it makes proactive protection that much harder.

"However, the cost of security breaches is rising. On top of the damage to reputation and operational disruptions, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) stipulates that fines of up to four per cent of turnover can be applied to those firms that suffer a breach. This can end up costing tens of millions of pounds."

Given this stark reality, boards should be aware of the fact that ROI is clearly evident when the alternative is toying with the risk of huge fines and incalculable reputational damage.

To learn more, read the full report: Outsmarting the Smart: Entering the Age of Threat Hunting.