SolarWinds: Public Sector IT Leaders See Hackers as Largest Threat Source

A new SolarWinds survey has found that 56 percent of public sector information technology decision-makers said they consider the general hacking community as the top security threat in their organizations, while 52 percent of respondents pointed to careless insiders as primary threats.

Market Connections, a research firm commissioned to conduct the survey, polled 400 IT security leaders and professionals from U.S. federal, state and local government agencies and the education sector in October 2021 for the annual Public Sector Cybersecurity Survey Report and found that approximately 60 percent of respondents said they have not seen improvements in time to detection and resolution of cyberthreats, SolarWinds said Tuesday.

Fifty-six percent of respondents noted that foreign governments pose a cyberthreat, according to the report. At least 60 percent of IT security professionals said their level of concern has increased the most over malware, ransomware and phishing over the past year.

“These results demonstrate that while IT security threats have increased—primarily from the general hacking community and foreign governments—the ability to detect and remediate such threats has not increased at the same rate, leaving public sector organizations vulnerable,” said Brandon Shopp, group vice president for product strategy at SolarWinds.

The study also showed that more than 75 percent of respondents said their organizations depend on a zero-trust approach.

Seventy-seven percent of IT security professionals from the public sector said they consider network security software as their top investment priority for IT modernization efforts.

“But the data also shows an increased awareness and adoption of zero trust, as well as a commitment to invest in IT solutions and adopt cybersecurity best practices outlined in the Administration’s Cybersecurity Executive Order. It’s through these steps that public sector organizations can enhance their cybersecurity posture and fight the rising tide of external threats,” said Shopp.