Miscommunication or lack of coordination can lead to gaps in security that can be exploited by cyber attackers. A report said today that more than half of top-tier managers in India (80 percent) admit that a miscommunication with the IT department or IT security team has resulted in at least one cybersecurity incident in their firms.
According to the cyber security firm Kaspersky, in terms of personal attitudes, most non-IT executives (48 percent) cited a decreased sense of cooperation among different teams. It stated that the situation causes them to question their colleagues’ skills and abilities when communicating with their IT-security employees is unclear (43 percent).
If there is confusion about who is responsible for which aspect of cybersecurity, it can lead to gaps in security that cybercriminals can exploit. For example, if the IT department is responsible for maintaining firewalls and intrusion detection systems, but the security team is responsible for defining security policies, it may not be clear who should respond to an attempted breach.
“Clear communication between a company’s executives and IT security management is a prerequisite for corporate business security,” said Alexey Vovk, Head of Information Security at Kaspersky.
“On the other hand, business should also understand that information security in the 21st century is an integral part of business and budgeting for it is an investment in protecting company assets,” he added.
Moreover, the report said that 100 percent of non-IT respondents experienced miscommunications regarding IT security.
Regarding consequences, most often, a breakdown in communications leads to serious project delays (81 percent) and cybersecurity incidents (80 percent).
“The heightened threat of cyber attacks has changed this dynamic, with executives and IT security departments needing to work closely together to minimize damage and disruption,” said Dipesh Kaura, GM, South Asia, Kaspersky.
In addition to worsening business indicators, unclear communication with IT security employees has an emotional impact on the team. It causes executives to question IT-security employees’ skills and abilities, the report mentioned.
Further, about 48 percent of executives admit that misunderstandings make them lose confidence in the business’s safety, and 37 percent of them find this situation makes them nervous, which affects their work performance.
To prevent miscommunication from resulting in security incidents, companies should establish clear lines of communication and collaboration between the IT department and the security team.
Also Read: Credentials database theft, reused passwords dangerous entryway
