The rush to technological innovation puts companies at risk of cyber attacks
To stay ahead of their competitors – or at least stay competitive – most companies today are rushing to innovate various technologies.
However, this could put them at risk of cyber attacks, a new report from BlackBerry warns. Based on a global survey of 1,000 embedded software developers and engineers, the report found that the majority of UK respondents (77%) admitted to compromising on critical security aspects to meet pressing deadlines. Moreover, if they are not under pressure with deadlines, they are with financing.
Although three-quarters (74%) of respondents in the UK consider security a “top” or “high” priority in their software and applications, they are not diligent when it comes to patches. The average time between two updates is five weeks, BlackBerry said, adding that this frequency varies significantly.
OS issues
Another important aspect when building new technologies is the underlying operating system. Some respondents (28%) said they were unsure that their chosen operating system had the necessary security certifications. Additionally, 14% “strongly believe” their operating system lacks these features, and another 14% say their operating system is only partially compliant.
OS plays an important role in project timelines, the report emphasizes. According to the report, 29% of organizations in the UK missed their deadlines due to the time spent developing, certifying and testing the operating system. Using open source solutions doesn’t help much, as open source is more likely to experience breaches than proprietary software (52% vs. 31%).
For João Pereira, Director of EMEA General Embedded Market Sales at BlackBerry QNX, the solution lies in pre-certified software: “As we enter the era of ‘Software-Defined Everything’, where devices and infrastructure increasingly rely on software for operations, new features and innovation, the importance of functional (FuSa) safety comes first. While 91% of UK organizations surveyed recognize this as a priority, it is clear that developers are under increasing pressure to meet deadlines and budgets. That’s why pre-certified software is so important to enable organizations to not only achieve their goals, but do so without compromise. .”