Cybersecurity Professionals’ Advice Ignored, Reveals KnowBe4 Survey

An open padlock sitting on a laptop keyboard representing cyber crime.

Ignoring Advice: A Major Frustration

The survey, which involved 201 cybersecurity professionals, aimed to understand the sentiment around trending cybersecurity issues. The most significant frustration among these professionals was the disregard of their advice, with 29% expressing this concern. Other issues included a lack of skilled workers (15%), an inadequate security culture (13%), and the burden of managing too many tools (13%).

Promoting a Robust Security Culture

Javvad Malik, lead security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, emphasized the need for organizations to view cybersecurity as a shared responsibility. He criticized the outdated once-a-year training model and advocated for user-friendly approaches to promote security awareness. Such strategies could help create cybersecurity champions within the company, spreading best practices and reducing the security department’s load.

National Service and Cybersecurity Education

The survey also explored the potential reintroduction of National Service in the UK, incorporating cybersecurity education. While only a third (33%) of security professionals supported National Service, this figure rose to nearly half (48%) when cybersecurity education was included.

Malik noted that these divided perspectives underscore the complexity of the issue. However, he also pointed out the growing recognition of the need to expand cybersecurity education, especially among the younger generation. Despite this, the equal number of professionals unsure or opposed to the idea highlights the contentious nature of using National Service for this purpose.

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