Telia Carrier Commissioned Survey Reveals Network Security Incidents Are on the Rise Since the Pandemic

A looming deadline, a disagreement, a long list of to-dos—these are some common cerebral culprits that can lead to sleepless nights. It turns out business leaders in particular have another mind-racing topic that’s causing them to miss some Z’s: logical network security. That’s according to the findings of a Telia Carrier survey called “Enterprise Network Security 2021: A Post-Pandemic Threat Landscape Report” that polled business leaders across several sectors in the US, UK, France and Germany in Q1 to reveal the current landscape of network security as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the report, logical security concerns, such as the safeguards put in place to manage access to systems and networks, were top-of-mind for leaders in France and those in banking, in particular. Physical network security ranks as a close second and is most thought about among UK leaders. Other notable finds of the survey include that 78% of leaders have responded to up to 100 network security incidents in the last year alone, and 68% reported that their company has experienced a DDoS attack in the last 12 months.

The post-pandemic security report is based on a survey of 418 leaders and provides insights into threats, costs, network underlay security, reported incidents, the security effects of COVID-19, and more. The findings give a robust look into the security questions on business leaders’ minds at the beginning of 2021 in a world that’s been altered by the technological shifts in working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sectors represented include manufacturing and IT, banking, financial services and more.

Other Key Findings Include:

• Geographically, 55% of US and 49% of UK respondents experienced the most severe network security impact due to cyber attacks (suggesting their businesses are targeted more frequently than those in continental Europe). In turn, a clear majority of respondents (60%) have increased their investment in this area.
• Of the 68% of leaders who said their company experienced a DDoS attack in the last 12 months, the UK (76%) and the US (73%) experienced a significantly higher proportion compared to 59% of their German and 56% of their French counterparts.
• More than half of the leaders who participated in the survey confirmed that they specifically experienced a DDoS ransom or extortion attack in the prior 12 months, with a large number of them (65%) targeted at UK companies, compared with the relatively low number in France (38%).
• As for the nature of the cyber threats faced, phishing (where victims are contacted by fraudsters via phone, email or text message to divulge sensitive information) is regarded by many leaders (56%) as the main cyber threat to their business. What is more telling, perhaps, is the fact that almost as many (49%) view DDoS attacks at the same level.

The numbers may seem daunting, but they point to one logical solution in battling the increased numbers of attacks that are also growing in severity: gain security through your network. Telia Carrier’s Chief Evangelist Mattias Fridström explained how.

“A comprehensive security solution for enterprises consists of several components, where network security is only one part. However, the network is probably the most vulnerable part of the security stack because of its inherent exposure to the outside world – often across long distances. When it fails, so do all the systems and workflows that depend upon it. It comes as no surprise, when you look at these findings, to know that network security is also by far the biggest security cost for business with 42% of leaders citing it as their greatest security outlay,” said Fridström.

In a recent JSA TV interview, Fridström spoke candidly about additional network considerations, Telia Carrier’s recently conducted survey, and went more in depth to explain how your choice of internet service provider can impact your Internet security.

To view the full finding of Telia Carrier’s survey, download the full Enterprise Network Security 2021 Report now.