According to Splunk, 93% of security leaders say public GenAI is used across their organizations, and 91% report using GenAI specifically for cybersecurity operations.
A total of 1,650 security leaders participated in the global survey, and many reported that cybersecurity is now more manageable than it has been in years past. However, cybersecurity advocates now face competition from adversaries to leverage GenAI.
Organization does not have a clear GenAI policy
According to the report, organizations are actively adopting GenAI tools within their teams. Compared to organizations that are still developing their cybersecurity programs, organizations that take a forward-thinking approach have greater budgets, resources, and authority to deploy cutting-edge GenAI tools and technologies. is in a favorable position.
However, despite this widespread adoption, many organizations lack clear GenAI policies and do not fully understand the technology's broader impact. Additionally, cybersecurity leaders are divided on whether cybersecurity defenders or threat actors have an advantage in leveraging GenAI tools.
Despite high adoption rates, 34% of organizations surveyed said they do not have a GenAI policy in place, and 65% of respondents admitted they do not fully understand the impact of GenAI.
44% of respondents ranked GenAI as a top initiative for 2024, surpassing cloud security as the top initiative. Cybersecurity leaders are divided on the advantages of GenAI. 45% of respondents believe GenAI will be the ultimate victory for threat actors, while 43% said GenAI will give cybersecurity defenders an edge.
said Patrick Coughlin, Splunk's senior vice president of global technical sales. “The introduction of GenAI creates new opportunities for organizations to streamline processes, increase productivity, and limit staff burnout. Unfortunately, GenAI also offers unprecedented benefits for threat actors. To combat the emerging threat landscape, defenders must harness the power of GenAI to outperform threat actors in the race to deploy safely.”
GenAI creates new opportunities for organizations
In recent years, cybersecurity adoption has proven to be quite a challenge, especially for entry-level employees looking to break into the industry. This report shows that GenAI could be the solution to this problem by helping organizations discover and hire entry-level talent more efficiently.
Additionally, the majority of cybersecurity professionals expect GenAI to increase speed and productivity.
86% of cybersecurity leaders say GenAI allows them to hire more entry-level talent to fill skills gaps, and 58% say GenAI allows them to hire entry-level talent faster .
90% of security executives believe that entry-level talent can use GenAI to improve their skills in the security operations center (SOC), and 65% believe that the technology will improve the skills of experienced cybersecurity professionals. We believe this will help improve productivity.
Security professionals face increasing compliance pressure
The majority of security professionals also face increasing compliance pressures. With the introduction of more stringent compliance requirements, the risks have increased significantly, especially for security leaders who may face personal repercussions for violations in their organizations. This changing compliance landscape highlights the need for increased vigilance and accountability in the security field.
76% of respondents said personal responsibility made the cybersecurity field less attractive, and 70% said they had considered leaving the field due to work-related stress .
62% of professionals report that they have already been impacted by changes in compliance obligations that require disclosure of material violations. Meanwhile, 86% of security professionals say they would change their budgets to prioritize meeting compliance regulations over security best practices.
Many respondents also expect organizations to become more risk-averse, with 63% expecting organizations to err on the side of caution and over-report breaches to avoid penalties. .
Fill out the form to get your free e-book:
