This article was originally published by IFSEC Insider.

Based on insights from over 5,500 physical security leaders globally, the research showed that while organisations are putting in place new processes to protect themselves, the level of concern about potential cyber threats continues to increase.

Close to a third (31%) of end-user respondents indicated that their organisation was targeted by cyber threat actors in 2023. Some sectors were far more affected than others. 73% of respondents in the intelligence and national security sector and 46% in the banking and finance sector said were the victims of cyber-attacks compared 21% in the retail sector.

In August, British perimeter security company, Zaun Ltd, was breached by the LockBit group. Despite only accessing a small fraction of the company’s internal network, the hackers appeared to have leaked sensitive documents relating to the physical security of agencies in the UK Ministry of Defence.

A top challenge faced

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities were identified by 36% of end-user respondents as a top challenge facing their organisations in 2023. In the healthcare sector, cybersecurity vulnerabilities were identified by a higher percentage of respondents than any other challenge (43%).

Organisations are, however, being more proactive with 42% of end-user respondents indicating that their organisations are deploying cybersecurity-related tools in their physical security environments. This is a significant increase compared to last year when only 27% said they had put in place processes to protect themselves.

“It is reassuring to see growing awareness of the cybersecurity of physical security systems,” Mathieu Chevalier, Principal Security Architect at Genetec said: “As more organisations look to implement enhanced cybersecurity measures, they need to look for manufacturers who are committed to cybersecurity and building tools that help them streamline the maintenance and updates of their systems.”

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