Less than half of global telecom providers have a fully implemented, well-defined cybersecurity strategy in place, despite concerns over mounting threat levels and emerging 5G risks, according to a new survey from BAE Systems Digital Intelligence.
The new study, which is based on in-depth interviews with IT and cybersecurity decision makers in telecoms businesses across the UK, Northern Africa and Eastern Europe, revealed that just:
- 46 per cent of respondents have a well-defined strategy fully in place - Learn more
- 39 per cent have fully deployed penetration testing - Learn more
- 42 per cent have deployed threat intelligence capabilities - Learn more
46%
have a well-defined cyber security strategy
39%
have fully deployed penetration testing
42%
have threat intelligence capabilities
- 69 per cent say that the reduced network capacity resulting from a cyber-attack would have a severe (42 per cent) or catastrophic (27 per cent) impact on their business - Learn more
- 28 per cent also claim that downtime resulting from a security breach would be catastrophic, while slightly fewer say the same about increased traffic costs - Learn more
Complimentary Insight: Mitigating Cyber Risk in Telecoms
Communication service providers (CSPs) play an essential role in any nation’s critical infrastructure (CNI). That makes them an attractive target for nation state operatives and financially motivated cyber-criminals.
Whether the end goal is to sabotage and disrupt networks, hold telcos to ransom for money, or steal strategically advantageous customer data and IP, the risks are real and growing.
But what are the threats that concern CSPs most today, and which strategies could help to mitigate these?
Security Threat and Risk Assessment
To address the increasing challenge of cybersecurity, telecom operators should implement a risk-based approach to security, prioritising vulnerabilities, addressing the biggest risks first and reducing the attack surface where possible.
Security Threat and Risk Assessment (STARA) is a truly holistic threat and risk assessment methodology in which we examine your exposure to full spectrum attack through the identification of threat led and evidence based risks.
Our STARA methodology not only allows for a comprehensive analysis of your organisation’s current exposure to full spectrum attack, but also to understand the maturity of your security against some of the most advanced and persistent threat actors in the world - Learn more about STARA.
We have been working with our telecommunications customers for over three decades, combining our regulatory compliance, cyber security and digital transformation expertise. Contact us today or explore our Telecommunications Insights to find out more.
Webinar: Telecom operators in the eye of the cyber storm
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 8am PT / 10am CT / 11am ET / 5pm CEST / 4pm BST - Register Now
What are the key cyber threats that telcos face? What are the regulatory pressures to improve security? And how can telcos bolster their defenses?
Find out more
