OPSWAT’s 2023 Threat Intelligence survey highlights the urgent need for enhanced detection capabilities to combat evolving malware threats.
OPSWAT, a global leader in critical infrastructure protection (CIP) cybersecurity solutions, has published the results of its Threat Intelligence Survey. The comprehensive survey included insights from over 300 IT professionals responsible for malware detection, analysis, and response within their organisations. It provided valuable and surprising insights into the evolving threat intelligence landscape and IT professionals’ challenges. Additionally, the findings reveal pain points, maturity levels, and strategies organisations adopt to manage the current threat landscape and prepare for future challenges.
Threat actors leverage malware as an initial foothold to infiltrate targeted infrastructures and move laterally to gain long-term access, cause damage, or exfiltrate data and trade secrets. To combat these threats effectively, organisations rely on actionable threat intelligence gathered through sandboxes and advanced malware analysis technologies and processes. This proactive approach enables organisations to fortify their infrastructure defences, enhance incident response capabilities, and tailor security strategies based on specific threats they are likely to encounter.
“Threat intelligence plays a crucial role in safeguarding critical assets,” said Jan Miller, CTO of Threat Analysis at OPSWAT. “Understanding the evolving threat landscape empowers organisations to stay one step ahead of malicious actors, and in this rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape, it becomes the critical strategic advantage.”
Key Research Findings:
- Threat intelligence is a work in progress: 62% of organisations recognise the need for additional investments in tools and processes to enhance their capabilities. Only 22% have fully matured threat intelligence programs, with most indicating that they are only in the early stages or need additional investments in tools and processes.
- Challenges are ubiquitous: The survey reveals that organisations face common challenges, including detecting both known and unknown malware (68%), grappling with inadequate signature-based solutions (67%), and dealing with fragmented tools (54%).
- AI optimism outpaces scepticism and usage: While only 11% of respondents currently use AI for threat detection, 56% of security professionals indicated they are optimistic about its use of it in the future, and 27% are sceptical.
Additionally, approximately half of all participants noted that phishing URLs and email were among the top concerns for file type and delivery methods – emphasising the importance of advanced security measures such as Deep Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR), sandboxing, and link reputation checks.
OPSWAT is committed to empowering organisations with cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions to protect critical infrastructures from emerging threats. As the threat landscape evolves, OPSWAT remains at the forefront of innovation by providing the tools and knowledge they need to defend against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks and stay ahead.
