At least 80% Indian companies struggle to educate employees on cybersecurity, finds new survey

Cyberattacks are increasing in frequency and severity, but nearly 80 per cent of Indian organisations struggle to provide adequate education to their leaders and employees regarding cybersecurity, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

Despite increasing cyberattacks, budgets on cybersecurity have remained stagnant and executive teams continue to underestimate the level of damage threats can do to organisations, revealed the survey by global cybersecurity firm Sophos.

The survey identified that in India, the executives assume that their organisation will never get attacked. This was followed by the assumption that even though their organisation may be compromised, there is nothing they can do to stop it.

"At a time when data breaches and sophisticated cyberattacks like ransomware are growing at an alarming rate, cybersecurity preparedness is paramount. While businesses are waking up to take note of such attacks and working to secure their organisations, it is vital for them to educate their leaders and employees about the seriousness of cyberattacks," said Sunil Sharma, MD - sales, at Sophos India and SAARC, in a statement.

"It is high time that cybersecurity is seen as adding value to the overall business and not as a cost. Business leaders should understand that their stakeholders, including customers, will trust them more if they know they are dealing with an organisation that follows best cybersecurity practices and that their data is safe," he added.

The findings also showed 56 per cent of Indian organisations weren't running up-to-date cybersecurity protection at the time of the most significant attack they suffered in the past year.

"Organisations need to be more vigilant, educating their employees and leaders about cyber hygiene along with having the right cybersecurity tools, people and processes in place to minimise the impact," Sharma said.