Most CISOs worried about cybersecurity post-Brexit

Almost all (97 percent) of CISOs say they’re worried about safety of UK businesses after the country’s exit from the European Union (EU).

Six years after the divisive vote, and 18 months after a hard Brexit during a worldwide pandemic, CISOs say they are concerned Brexit is exposing the UK to greater threats by lowering standards for cybersecurity.

First reported by Computer Weekly, the report says security chiefs are concerned about divergence in cybersecurity regulations, with 39 percent saying they were concerned the UK was becoming an easier target for global threats.

Almost a third (32 percent) felt that inconsistent security legislation between the UK and the EU was becoming a concern. They point to government plans to significantly alter the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which currently remains in-line with its EU-developed “parent”.

“CEOs need to be able to provide clear direction and make good decisions based on an often-fragmented pool of information,” said CyberArk EMEA senior vice-president, Rich Turner.

“Cybersecurity is an area that is increasingly strategic, underpinning the success of every digital initiative that organisations undertake. Greater, shared understanding of the threats that can undermine these initiatives is therefore crucial.

“Cybersecurity works best when it is a team game. The more that nations globally – not just the UK and our EU partners – collaborate, the more resilient we are to cyber threats.”

No specific cyber investment initiatives from UK

Other findings include discrepancies in the attitudes of UK and EU organisations around security investment strategies. Sixty percent of EU-based respondents in France, Germany, Italy and Spain say they would prioritise funding from the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan to bolster their security postures – a source that clearly does not exist for British CISOs.

CyberArk via Computer Weekly notes that “although the UK’s National Cyber Strategy made some bold commitments, it contained no specific investment initiatives.”

CISOs are tackling the problem, however, with 90 percent saying they had appointed an executive to run security incident planning and decision-making. Additionally, 63 percent saying they had “accelerated” security initiatives in the past 12 months.

Nevertheless, the report says that prioritising collaboration with the UK’s neighbours in the EU could further bolster our collective ability to secure against cyberattack.