Press Release: IT in the Netherlands Is No Match for Cybercrime

The survey reveals a high degree of vulnerability to hackers and cybercriminals. More than half of Dutch IT professionals (65 percent) are somewhat concerned about the potential consequences of cyberattacks on their company, and 9 percent are even very concerned.

According to the respondents, the greatest vulnerability in cybersecurity is employee carelessness (63 percent), followed by employee incompetence or lack of knowledge (62 percent).

Companies Underestimate Risks

Although IT professionals are concerned about the potential consequences of cyberattacks and the damage that cybercriminals can cause, most believe that their own organizations have their affairs well in order. Of all IT professionals surveyed, 12 percent are even convinced that their company is not vulnerable to cyberattacks at all. Only four percent rate their company as highly vulnerable, while the vast majority (77 percent) believe their company is, at most, somewhat vulnerable.

A quarter of the IT professionals surveyed are convinced that their company has never been the victim of a cyberattack, while a remarkable 18 percent say they do not know. However, the majority of respondents (57 percent) admit that their company has been hit by a cyberattack at least once. In most cases, these attacks involved malware (26 percent), phishing (25 percent), and data breaches (15 percent).

More than half of the respondents have thus been affected by cybercrime at least once, but Derk van der Woude, Lead Security Consultant at InSpark, believes the actual percentage is much higher.

“It’s virtually certain that companies that don’t know whether a cyberattack has occurred within their organization have already been targeted by criminals. The actual percentage is likely around 75 percent.” Van der Woude bases this estimate on InSpark’s experience, as the company regularly visits businesses to conduct security scans. “In many cases, we discover breaches that were previously unknown but require immediate action.”

Security is rarely tested

“Companies are too quick to assume that their own organization’s vulnerability to cybercrime isn’t that bad,” Van der Woude continues. “For example, the survey shows that three-quarters of respondents are ‘satisfied’ with the level of their own cybersecurity. This results in a lax attitude when it comes to testing and monitoring. An alarming 13 percent of respondents indicate that they never conduct a security test or penetration test, while nearly half of IT professionals say they do not know whether such tests are performed.” Of the respondents who do conduct tests, only 13 percent do so multiple times a year.

By testing their security little or not at all, organizations make themselves vulnerable to the activities of cybercriminals. Training employees to recognize the growing risks of cybercrime is an important preventive measure, as is enforcing a strict password policy. “However, these measures are not sufficient,” says Van der Woude. “User awareness training can help mitigate the risks, but it is not enough. Cybersecurity requires specialized knowledge and the use of professional tools. Most companies lack these resources. Often, the IT department ends up handling security as an afterthought.”

Security-as-a-Service

“The Dutch business community still doesn’t fully realize that almost every company today is a software company,” Van der Woude continues. “Cybercriminals are extremely cunning and are using increasingly sophisticated methods to break in. That requires specialized knowledge to defend against them.” For smaller organizations, bringing in in-house specialists can be a heavy burden. But according to Van der Woude, that’s not always necessary. “You can also purchase security as a service and outsource it to a Security Operations Center (SOC). That way, you have the assurance of advanced detection 24/7.”

About the Survey

In November 2019, Panelwizard conducted a survey on behalf of InSpark among 565 Dutch IT professionals aged 18 and older who are familiar with cyber and cloud security at the companies where they work. This survey was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of ISO 20252 and ISO 26362.

About InSpark

InSpark supports and encourages organizations in their digital transformation. Our innovations and security services deliver lasting results with a significant positive impact for our clients. Our motto: innovate to accelerate. InSpark’s professionals possess in-depth expertise in state-of-the-art Microsoft technology. Full service and full force, so that customers and employees can get the most out of technology. InSpark is a 2019 Global Microsoft Security & Compliance Partner, a ten-time Microsoft Gold Partner, 2018 Country Partner of the Year, 2017 Hybrid Cloud Partner, and a multiple winner of the FD Gazelle Award. Read more at www.inspark.nl.

This press release has been published in, among others:

Emerce
https://www.emerce.nl/wire/it-nederland-opgewassen-tegen-toenemende-complexiteit-cybercrime
Telecompaper
https://www.telecompaper.com/nieuws/more-than-half-of-dutch-companies-have-already-been-hit-by-a-cyberattack–1322144
Infosecurity Magazine
https://www.infosecuritymagazine.nl/nieuws/IT-in-the-Netherlands-Unable-to-Cope-with-the-Increasing-Complexity-of-Cybercrime
Dutch IT-channel
https://dutchitchannel.nl/637858/more-than-half-of-dutch-companies-have-been-affected-by-cybercrime.html
Executive People
https://executive-people.nl/637858/more-than-half-of-dutch-companies-have-been-affected-by-cybercrime.html
Resellers Business
http://www.resellersbusiness.nl/nieuws/nieuws/it-the-netherlands-is-unable-to-cope-with-the-increasing-complexity-of-cybercrime/b542d6e8cfb303de919926a0623ccc3c/
Techvisor
https://www.techvisor.nl/Artikelen/349/it-nederland-niet-opgewassen-tegen-toenemende-complexiteit-van-cybercrime
CreditExpo
https://www.creditexpo.nl/it-netherlands-cannot-cope-with-the-increasing-complexity-of-cybercrime/
EN24 (international)
https://www.en24.news/2020/01/it-netherlands-cannot-cope-with-the-increasing-complexity-of-cyber-crime.html
ICT Magazine
https://www.ictmagazine.nl/bedrijfsnieuws/it-nederland-niet-opgewassen-tegen-toenemende-complexiteit-van-cybercrime/
Focus on IT
https://www.it-newswire.nl/inspark/