An Ernst & Young study has found that one in three federal employees said their agencies annually spend more than $50 million on cybersecurity and that organizations are more likely to spend on security operations and data protection and privacy.
EY teamed up with Market Connections to survey 200 employees across federal civilian and defense agencies between November and December 2022 to identify key trends in cybersecurity investment and found that 63 percent of respondents said their agencies have in place a cyber roadmap that focuses on operational technology.
Of those with a roadmap, 61 percent of respondents said they assess their cyber roadmaps and priorities on a quarterly basis.
When asked about the maturity of their cyberthreat intelligence programs, only 19 percent said they consider their initiatives as “very” mature.
The report showed that only 46 percent of respondents said their agencies have supply chain risk management programs and nearly 60 percent said their organizations have conducted a cyber tabletop exercise in the past year.
Of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s five pillars of zero trust, 42 percent said they are “very” prepared for the identity aspect. At least 20 percent of respondents said they are very prepared when it comes to network and data pillars, while 9 percent are very ready for devices and 8 percent for applications.
The study recommends that agencies conduct a cyber tabletop training exercise annually, prioritize SCRM programs to mitigate risks, facilitate the decision-making process through cyberthreat intelligence initiatives and come up with a security framework that encompasses all aspects of zero trust.