The cybersecurity risks that businesses face are complex, making them difficult to defend against and requiring technical and managerial responses at all levels of the enterprise, says Kaspersky Lab anti- targeted attack business solution lead Oleg Glebov.

The complexity of cyberthreats means that high-level expert skills are required, as well as training and awareness raising among all employees.

Employees must be trained to be aware of risks, such as malicious attachments and fraudulent invoices as a result of suppliers being breached, so that they can take precautions to mitigate these risks. They must also be trained to respond appropriately, including communicating incidents to the cybersecurity team.

“There is a need for new skills in enterprises to automate the gathering of data, identify incidents, analyse in-house information and execute effective incident responses.

“However, these are ineffective unless awareness among all employees of cybersecurity risks and risky behaviour is raised and maintained. Postincident forensic efforts necessary to continuously improve defence against threats are also aided by higher awareness of the importance of cybersecurity among staff and by effective communication with the security team during and after an incident.”

While some companies will use expert cybersecurity service providers to manage their security, most enterprises want to retain the capability to analyse, identify and respond to in-house breaches, often for compliance reasons. Effective in-house security teams will require threat intelligence feeds and high-level skills to interpret and craft effective responses, says Glebov.

Additionally, more complex attacks can be expected against enterprises in developing countries, as the maturity of their cybersecurity is typically lower in these markets. However, the threats are global, says Kaspersky Lab financial services security lead Dmitry Zveginets.

Of the top three attacks on enterprises in the third quarter of last year, 44.8% comprise Web attacks, 19.3% android operating system attacks and 15.9% attacks against office staff and networks.

The source of the attacks, whether it be the US, Germany or Bangladesh, is less important than the destination. Targeted attacks are, therefore, a particular risk for larger, prominent enterprises.