In response to the US federal court system saying that it is still suffering from prolonged impacts caused by a cyberattack, Sam Linford, AVP EMEA Channels at Deep Instinct, has this to say: “The impact of the attack on the US federal court system has dispelled any doubts about the potential significance of cyberattacks, even against the largest organisations. When cyberattacks have lingering impacts on departments, then it can have substantial consequences on both the organisation and its people. When systems are not working at full capacity, then organisations cannot provide services at the same high standard, which erodes public trust in them.

“While these impacts might be seen as more obvious, we also have to think about the hidden impacts on employees. When there are prolonged impacts from a cyberattack, it is up to IT and security teams to fix them quickly, which could put a huge amount of pressure and stress on the individuals responsible. On top of this, they also have the constant fear that the next cyberattack is just around the corner.”

Unfortunately, not everyone can cope with such pressures, he states, with recent research
showing that 45% of IT professionals have considered leaving the industry, due to stress, with the primary issue being the constant threat posed by ransomware. “This shows that there is something wrong with our attitude when it comes to security. Too many organisations accept the ‘assume breach’ mindset and take a reactive approach when dealing with cyberattacks. However, with so many headlines in the news about cybersecurity breaches, simply mitigating cyberattacks is clearly not enough.”

Therefore, states Linford, it is time for organisations to implement a new approach where preventing cyberattacks becomes first. “By stopping cyberattacks before they breach the network, we no longer have to accept that some systems might be hit before the attack is stopped. Let’s change our mindset to see success as stopping cyberattacks before any system is compromised.”