Researchers at Zivver surveyed 250 UK public sector cybersecurity professionals about fines and reputational damage to companies.
According to the survey, 52% of respondents cited damage to reputation as their biggest concern, followed by data breach prevention (50%) and employee security awareness (49%). The least concern, as it turned out, was caused by fines (19% of respondents).
“For example, in the Netherlands, the country with the largest distribution of email data protection solutions, there are practically no fines. Acceptance will increase with increasing awareness, fueled by media attention, public interest, independent research and information campaigns. So I see fines as a way to raise awareness, not heighten fear, ”said Rick Goud, CIO and co-founder of Zivver.
About one in three respondents reported that the pandemic creates additional vulnerabilities that require constant security changes. 43% of IT executives in UK government said their organization has become less secure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
82% of respondents said their organization has experienced at least one data breach in the past 12 months, and 73% have experienced three or more.
Gode said the results of this survey indicate an urgent need for public sector organizations to review and update their current security practices.