The financial crisis has accelerated the level and sophistication of cyber attacks for the CISO. Malware is as stealthy and dangerous as it has ever been whilst opportunities for data leakage continue to increase by the day. Compliance demands for a multitude of industries are heaping on the pressure for the CISO as they grow in complexity. 

Increasing staff turnover and dissatisfaction along with the increased involvement of organised crime means that the number of perpetrators who view online crime as a lucrative and low risk alternative to other nefarious activities is increasing.

IT infrastructure weaknesses, outsourcing, mobile malware, Web 2.0 flaws, corporate espionage, weakening network boundaries and the blurring line between work and personal will also present the CISO with a long list of alternative threats.

Whilst Information Security is evolving fast budgets remain tight as the economy struggles to regain its strength. However, far from holding back on spending the experts in the industry realize that protecting their businesses at a time like this may be the perfect opportunity for the CISO to optimize value for their organizations as it is now crucial to have the right controls in place to mitigate the risks.

The Information Security Forum has called on companies to continue to invest in security in order to keep data safe. Chief executive Prof. Howard A. Schmidt said that "even in today's financial climate and increased threat environment, we are better placed than ever before to meet these challenges – as long as we have the resolve to strengthen and invest in security rather than reduce it."

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