Four out of five cybersecurity incidents targeting Swedish companies occur due to unmonitored assets

Trend Micro released a report in late spring showing that while companies are highly aware of being exposed to significant cybersecurity risks, the adoption of specialized tools to manage those risks is not keeping pace.

The global survey reveals that as many as 79 percent of Swedish companies have experienced security incidents involving previously unknown or unmonitored assets. The attack surface—meaning the number of assets companies have exposed to the internet and need to keep secure—has grown rapidly. This is driven partly by the increasing use of generative AI, and partly by the continued rise in the number of IoT devices used in offices and employees’ homes.

Cybersecurity and business risk closely interlinked – But dedicated tools are lacking

As a result, 95 percent of Swedish respondents state that the ability to gain visibility and monitor all assets is directly or partially linked to business risk. Many also understand that an inability to manage security risks tied to exposed assets can have a significant negative impact on other parts of the organization—such as operational continuity, financial performance, customer trust, employee productivity, and ultimately the company’s competitiveness.

Despite this clear awareness, only 47 percent currently use dedicated tools for proactive risk management. In addition, 41 percent say they lack established processes to continuously monitor their entire exposed environment—something essential for managing threats before they impact the business.

Financial investments are sufficient, but too few work proactively

On average, 30 percent of the surveyed companies’ budgets are allocated to managing cyber risks. Three out of four believe their current resources are sufficient to handle the task. At the same time, nearly 80 percent of companies have experienced security incidents in parts of their environment they were previously unaware of.

This reveals a contradiction: while awareness of cyber incidents and their threat to business operations is high, and confidence in current investments is strong, the report paints a different picture regarding proactive measures, technical tools, and established processes for risk management.

“Already in 2022, Swedish companies were concerned that their attack surface was escalating beyond control,” says Martin Fribrock, Country Manager Sweden at Trend Micro. “The challenge has grown even further today. And even though most companies understand the impact this has on business risks, too few are taking proactive steps to reduce security threats. We can only speculate on why this is the case, but what the report makes clear is that cybersecurity needs to be a higher priority for Swedish companies.”

About the Survey

Trend Micro commissioned Sapio Research to interview 2,250 IT and/or cybersecurity decision-makers at companies of varying sizes across a wide range of industries. The study was conducted in 21 countries across Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region, and includes 100 Swedish respondents.