Survey - Perceptions vs Reality

What the “Survey on Perceptions and Practices of Cybersecurity Professionals” is about ?

Organizations of all types and sizes are under attack. Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect between defenders’ perceptions and practices of how best to protect themselves and the current cyberthreat landscape.

To distinguish this disparity GoSecure, in collaboration with Serene-risc developed a survey in 2018 aimed at understanding how defenders perceive specific security measures and whether these measures were implemented in their respective organizations. The survey results were subsequently combined with GoSecure penetration test data to confront the two perspectives. The findings of this study provide valuable information to assess and understand disconnection between perceptions and practices of cybersecurity professionals. It will also help to overcome the security gaps uncovered.

Where do the survey data come from and how were they compiled?

 Data were obtained directly from respondents using an electronic questionnaire. The survey was disseminated through email campaigns and several cybersecurity conferences from April 2018 to February 2019. The target population included cybersecurity professionals from management-level jobs (including CEO, CTO, CISO) to hands-on professionals, such as dedicated security analyst/architects, network administrators, senior infrastructure analysts, security administrators, and system administrators. A total of 120 respondents answered the survey.

How can I access the survey data?

In collaboration with GoSecure, SERENE-RISC is providing free access to the survey data. To access the microdata of the Perception Versus Reality Survey click on the icon below:

If you are using this data, you must mention the source of the above data: GoSecure and Serene-Risc Survey (2020). Survey on the perceptions and practices of cybersecurity professionals [Data file].https://www.serene-risc.ca/en/survey-perceptions-vs-reality

What are the findings of this survey?

This survey was the first step of a study to identify Perceptions and Practices of Cybersecurity Professionals. The results of the survey and the main findings of the study are available in a White Paper published by GoSecure “Cybersecurity Perceptions Versus Reality”. This report highlights the key results of this two-year-long research. 

The collaboration between GoSecure and Serene-risc aims to facilitate a wider dissemination of the results of this survey and to enable cybersecurity professionals to access reliable data that help understand beneficial and cost-effective cybersecurity measures.