Research recently commissioned by Ground Control shows that over eight in 10 (82%) of organisations are not investing enough in cybersecurity, especially with regard to protecting critical national infrastructure.
The research quizzed over 500 people in industries including healthcare, energy, utilities, water, waste, transport, financial services, manufacturing and agriculture. It comes at a time when cyber attacks remain one of the leading threats to national security.
Out of those surveyed, two thirds (62%) said they would feel safer knowing critical national infrastructure had back up to satellite communications in the event of an attack or connectivity failure, and 46% said they had ‘little or no confidence’ in the healthcare industry’s cybersecurity measures. No sector scored more than 31% with regards to having moderate or full confidence in their organisation’s cybersecurity measures.
Key findings:
- 82% of respondents believe organisations are not investing enough in cybersecurity for Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
- 62% would feel safer knowing that CNI had back up satellite communications in the event of a cyber attack or internet failure
- 46% have ‘little or no confidence’ in the healthcare industry’s cybersecurity measures
- No sector scored higher than 31% for moderate or full confidence in cybersecurity protections
- Higher-income households (£140,000+) expressed more concern over cybersecurity than those in lower-income brackets (£20,000-)
- Respondents over 60 years old were more concerned about cybersecurity than those aged 18-29
Cellular data can often pass through local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) which creates potential vulnerabilities such as DDoS attacks, ‘man-in-the-middle’ attacks and DNS poisoning. Satellite communications, however, typically bypass ISPs and consequently reduce their exposure to cyber threats.
Despite that, there are a growing number of satellite networks and service options which deliver varying levels of security. Users should, therefore, explore their providers’ encyrption standards, robustness, and flexibility of VPNs and firewalls, and whether the option to use a private wire is available.
“The latest findings on cybersecurity threats to Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) underscore a pressing reality: organisations must rethink their approach to resilience and security. With evidence pointing towards ransomware attacks rising, it is clear that traditional security measures are falling short,” said Alastair MacLeod, CEO of Ground Control. “The public’s lack of confidence in cybersecurity across key sectors such as healthcare and transport further highlights the urgent need for robust, multi-layered security strategies. At Ground Control, we believe satellite IoT connectivity plays a crucial role in enhancing cyber resilience, particularly for mission-critical applications where traditional networks face vulnerabilities.”
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