Press Release

Report Reveals That Half of IT Professionals Believe There Are Devices Connected To Their Network That They’re Unaware Of

June 27, 2024

The Advanced Cyber Defence Systems (ACDS) ‘Cybersecurity Challenges in 2024: Data Breaches, Open Source Risk and Network Vulnerabilities’ report also found that over a third (36%) of organisations have suffered three or more data breaches in the last 24 months.


LONDON, UK—27th June 2024—Advanced Cyber Defence Systems (ACDS) has today released the results of a survey of 250 IT professionals that has uncovered significant cybersecurity challenges facing organisations today. Notably, the research revealed that half of IT professionals believe there are devices connected to their network that they’re unaware of, despite nearly 60% admitting that insecure devices pose a ‘very high’ or ‘high’ risk to their organisation, highlighting the importance of managing attack surfaces properly.

The research findings were revealed in a report entitled ‘Cybersecurity Challenges in 2024: Data Breaches, Open Source Risks, and Network Vulnerabilities’. The report provides a detailed analysis of data breaches, detection times, reliance on open source software, network security issues, and factors driving increased cybersecurity spending.

The report also revealed that over two-thirds of organisations have experienced three or more data breaches in the past 24 months. Worryingly, 20% of organisations took longer than five days to discover a breach. The delay in detection can drastically amplify the damage inflicted by cyberattacks. Significantly, the longer a breach goes unnoticed, the more time attackers have to carry out nefarious activity, including disrupting operations, exfiltrating sensitive data, and potentially harming an organisation’s reputation and financial standing.

The report also touches on open source software commitments made by organisations. Many organisations rely on open source projects for innovation; however, only 39% of respondents reported that their companies actively fund the open source projects they rely on. Respondents to the survey cited the recent XZ Utils backdoor, an open source vulnerability, as an influential incident prompting increased spending in the area. Other significant events that prompted increased spending to bolster security defences were nation-state attacks and the MOVEit breach.

Elliott Wilkes, CTO of ACDS, comments: “A comprehensive device inventory and robust security protocols are crucial for mitigating cyber threats. Advanced solutions, like automated network scanning tools, such as ACDS OBSERVATORY, enhance network visibility and protection. Prioritising these measures significantly reduces the risk associated with unknown or insecure devices, safeguarding critical assets and ensuring operational integrity.”

The full report can be found here:

Survey Methodology

This online survey commissioned by Advanced Cyber Defence Systems (ACDS) and conducted by market research company OnePoll, targeted 250 cybersecurity decision-makers at companies with over 500 employees. It was carried out between 30th April and 8th May 2024, in accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct.