Uncertainty is a theme of the audit firm PwC’s 23rd Annual Global CEO Survey, which involved 1,581 chief executives in 83 territories. Concerns include trade conflicts and cyber threats.
On cyber, the report notes that big data — artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT) — that bring the physical and digital together are now propelling the Fourth Industrial Revolution – and behind decisions on hiring and admissions, medical treatment, and access to finance. “But as with all other industrial revolutions, perils lurk in the promise of these transformative technologies. The private sector’s implementation of these innovations is outpacing the development of regulatory systems and standards to mitigate their risks. Organisations interested in global cybersecurity and internet governance are fragmented. No global framework exists that can control attacks on digital technology. And in many areas, digital dominance is increasingly seen as both an economic competitive advantage and a national security imperative.”
You can download the 49-page survey at https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-agenda/ceosurvey/2020.html.
Comments
Jake Moore at ESET said: “Deleting your social media won’t stop a highly targeted attack on your business, but it does reduce the risk and takes away a possible attack vector. Social media can be a great tool used by anyone- but if you are a famous celebrity, politician, or CEO of a well-known company, you naturally become more highly targeted and create a sort of honey pot to online attackers.
“They will try any way they can to enter a business, and social media is just another path on their list of entry points. Taking this out of the equation can be extremely helpful, especially if the person being targeted has used a password that they have used before, or if they have not set up two factor authentication.”
Saryu Nayyar, CEO of analytics company Gurucul says: “The fact that CEOs are becoming more aware of the danger of cyberattacks is encouraging. With the staggering costs that data breaches have incurred – lost money, lost reputation, lost jobs – cybersecurity is now a big enough issue to be elevated to the c-suite and the boardroom. It can no longer be ignored or relegated to second tier status or dropped into the laps of low level employees. Defining and implementing an effective cybersecurity program starts at the very top. The CEOs who recognise this will be rewarded by staying out of the data breach headlines.”
