New Survey Reveals Browsing-Based Threats are CISOs’ #1 Concern

Last week, we published our first ever State of Hybrid Work and Browsing Security Survey Report. The study, based on the responses of 300 chief information security officers (CISOs) from the U.S. and U.K., sheds light on the top concerns of today’s leading cybersecurity decision makers, as well as what they have in mind for the future, in the age of hybrid work.

If you’d rather skip the summary and dive right into the full report, you can do so here (no form-fills required!). Or, stick around and check out this quick rundown of the key findings and other interesting insights you can find inside: 

1. Hybrid Work is Here to Stay

A whopping 63% of CISOs said they expect the majority of employees at their organization to be working under a hybrid model (partially remote, partially in-office) in three years’ time; leaving very little doubt as to the fact that hybrid work is very much the “new normal”. 

2. Most CISOs See Hybrid Work as Having a Negative Impact on Security Posture

Despite the fact that hybrid work has become the new normal, most CISOs still see  the phenomenon as detrimental to organizational security, with 72% of respondents saying hybrid work has a negative impact on posture. 

3. Browsing Threats are the #1 Concern Across Organizations

When asked to select the top three most significant cyber threats to their organizations, CISOs pointed to a wide range of issues, but “Browsing Threats” topped the list, with nearly half (43%) of CISOs ranking it as a top concern.

Biggest threats to organizations

4. Insecure Browsing Tops the List of Hybrid Work Concerns

When asked to select the top three hybrid/remote security concerns that put organizations at risk, “Insecure Browsing” led the pack with nearly half (44%) of respondents citing it as a top concern. Insecure browsing shared its spot as the top concern with “Poor endpoint security” (44%), followed closely by the “Use of personal devices” (41%).

5. Legacy Solutions Leave CISOs at Hybrid Organizations Feeling Unsecured

82% of CISOs working at organizations where most employees work in-office feel that their current cybersecurity program is sufficient for securing the browsing activities of their hybrid workforce. However, when looking exclusively at those CISOs from primarily hybrid organizations, that percentage plummets to just 43%. And for those who anticipate their organizations being primarily remote, the figure drops to just 33%.

6. Seamless User Experience is of Critical Importance When Selecting Hybrid Security Solutions

In line with the idea that distributed teams require greater flexibility in security solutions, 73% of CISOs say that, when selecting a new security solution, it is either “extremely important” or “very important” that it enables a seamless end-user experience on any device.

Importance of Maintaining a Seamless User Experience

If there were just one idea to take away from this survey report, it would be that the security landscape is changing — and CISOs’ concerns and priorities are changing with it. With the traditional enterprise perimeter now all but vanished, web browsing has become the number one priority for today’s security decision-makers. 

With the advent of remote and hybrid work compromising organizations’ security posture, it’s imperative that organizations shore up their browsing defenses — and do so in a way that’s seamless and flexible for end users and admins alike. 

Want to read the full report? Check it out for yourself!

Looking for a solution to help ease your organization’s web browsing worries? Sign up for a free trial of Red Access today.