The ongoing issues the supply chain is experiencing globally are increasing the risk that companies have of suffering ransomware attacks, according to a Citrix study. The study, conducted among 200 IT security managers at companies with more than 250 decision-makers, explores the current supply chain landscape and its potential implications for cybersecurity.
From the study’s survey results, Citrix determines that 80% of security officers believe that supply chain issues and delays have increased the risk of ransomware to which they are exposed in their organization. For example, not being able to change hardware that is no longer supported. Another 70% believe their organization is specifically targeted by cyber attackers to gain access to external systems and data.
62% of organizations intend to renew their hardware fleet, including servers, network equipment, data center racks, laptops, smartphones and tablets at least annually, but 70% admit that supply chain problems have delayed his attempts to do so.
What consequences have these delays had? For 63% it has meant having to continue to use devices in their IT architecture after their manufacturer’s support period has ended, and 57% of those affected by the delays admit they might currently be using devices whose support period ended even a year ago.
Many organizations may be using unsupported hardware, but this does not cause corporate security officers to doubt their level of protection. 93%, in fact, trust their company’s contingency plans to address failures caused by unsupported hardware. For example, they range from rapid cloud migration plans to systems to block zero-day exploits that expose new attack surfaces.
Chris Mayers, Citrix Chief Security Architectnotes that “The global supply chain crisis has left knocking on wood evidently across all sectors, with security officers feeling its impact as they seek to protect their organizations. With key infrastructure hardware, such as software-backed network and data center equipment, no longer supported by some programs, it is critical that enterprises have a clear and robust network perimeter. Built on a virtualized cloud base, such an architecture enables businesses to contain new attacks and prevent the spread of malware and ransomware.«.
