Most Businesses Hit by Cyberattacks Still Lack a Solid Response Plan, Study Finds

New research from Forrester Consulting, commissioned by TransUnion, has found that six in ten organisations experienced at least one material cyberattack impact in the past 18 months. The survey of over 300 senior decision-makers involved in incident response strategy revealed significant gaps in preparedness: 40% said they lack an end-to-end incident response partner, and 37% admitted they do not have a comprehensive incident response plan in place.

Despite these gaps, businesses clearly understand the stakes. Three in four respondents said having strong, end-to-end incident response support is either "very important" or "mission-critical" when choosing a partner. More than 70% already use an external incident response provider, but only 46% rated their current provider as delivering this support very well or extremely well. As a result, 41% of organisations plan to reevaluate their incident response providers within the next year.

The study also points to cost as one of the biggest barriers to adequate incident response support, particularly for midmarket and smaller organisations with limited budgets. TransUnion says further recommendations for maximising incident response investment will be discussed in an upcoming webinar later this month.