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A new report shows that four out of five Aussie IT leaders believe the government should do more to protect businesses from increasing cyber attacks.
As both financially motivated cyber attacks against Australian organisations continue to rise, more IT leaders are looking to the government to provide protection from a hostile cyber security landscape.
In 2021, sixty-eight per cent of IT leaders wanted more government assistance, which rose to 70 per cent in 2022 and 73 per cent in 2024.
But now, according to new research by identity security firm KnowBe4, that figure has risen to 81 per cent.
“There is a clear acknowledgement from IT leaders around public and internal responsibility when it comes to managing cyber threats, but it is clear they don’t have the capabilities to protect their organisations at the level required,” Dr Martin Kraemer, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, said in a statement.
Businesses are looking for support in areas such as education and awareness training for all Australians, training for businesses in particular, and funding to help invest in better cyber security protections.
Fifty per cent of IT leaders, however, believe it is the job of everyone in a company to help protect their organisation, while 36 per cent believe that responsibility lies with the IT department. And, despite the call for help, only 13 per cent believe that it’s the government’s role to protect Australian businesses directly.
Instead, Australia’s IT leaders would like the government to assist in sharing knowledge and lessons learnt from prior attacks and to help with the early detection of threats and vulnerabilities.
Regulatory compliance is also an issue, with three in 10 IT leaders looking for assistance in that area.
“IT leaders are not trying to point the finger at government, but they are struggling to keep up and want to know that higher powers are available to back them up more holistically through collaboration, sharing of information, and public education,” Kraemer said.
KnowBe4’s research was conducted in January 2025 via a YouGov questionnaire shared with 203 Australian IT leaders from small and large organisations from a range of industries.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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