Cybersecurity firm Everfox have released the CYBER360 Report, revealing that 74% of IT security directors in regulated industries in the US and UK who were surveyed found detection-based security technologies outdated and inadequate.

The CYBER360 report surveyed 1,000 security leaders and IT security practitioners across the US and UK in sectors including government, defense, financial services, and healthcare.

It highlights significant dissatisfaction with legacy, detection-based cybersecurity approaches amid increasing cyber-attacks, with almost all (97%) regulated organisations reporting a cyber incident between October 2023 and 2024.

Survey respondents validated that the threat landscape is changing. On average, the surveyed organizations experienced 127 known cyber-attacks each week, with the top three threats identified as compromised access credentials (26%), phishing attacks (26%) and exploited vulnerabilities (25%).

At the same time, 62% of respondents agreed that AI and emerging malicious actor trends are increasing attack sophistication.

Over three-quarters (78%) of IT security directors believe security teams in regulated industries must shift their mindset from detecting threats to preventing them.

When looking ahead, the research revealed that a third (33%) of respondents plan to implement Hardsec technology, which uses hardware logic and electronics to implement security functions, dramatically reducing the attack surface.

Beyond this, nearly a third (30%) of survey respondents plan to implement Advanced Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR) solutions, which sanitise data and files before they enter networks.

Finally, more than a quarter (27%) plan to implement User Activity Monitoring (UAM), a preventative approach to managing insider risks that distinguishes between genuine human mistakes and malicious intent.

Despite the clear desire to adopt preventative security solutions, perceived challenges continue to hold agencies and organizations back. 39% of regulated organisations cited their inability to keep up with the rapidly evolving threat landscape as the biggest barrier to adopting preventative approaches.

Stretched budgets also play a role, with 36% of security professionals reporting it as a barrier. This pain point was particularly felt by government organisations, who named it their top obstacle.

Recommended reading

• ‘Big Game’ Ransomware Tactics Drives Spike in Attacks
• Is Automation Fuelling a New Era of Cyber-crime?
• New Ransomware Gangs Drive Surge in Attacks

Sector-specific difficulties in executing a preventative strategy are also apparent. Over a third (35%) of those working in defense organisations called out resistance to change and a preference for traditional reactive approaches as an obstacle, speaking to the importance of strong leadership in making the preventative mindset shift.

“Increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks have unfortunately become the norm and traditional detection-based technologies are unable to keep up. New, preventative security strategies and solutions like Hardsec and CDR solutions are a necessity to match the sophistication of today’s—and tomorrow’s—threats,” said Sean Berg, CEO at Everfox.