RADICL Reveals Cybersecurity Challenges for U.S. Defense SMBs in Latest Report

RADICL, a cybersecurity firm focused on securing small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) within the U.S. Defense Industrial Base (DIB), has published its "DIB Cybersecurity Maturity Report | 2024." The report highlights significant cybersecurity challenges facing these critical SMBs, including gaps in threat detection and response capabilities. Based on a survey of 423 IT professionals from companies employing between 101 to 250 people, the findings draw attention to the urgent need for improvement in cybersecurity maturity among firms that are integral to national defense and infrastructure.

Key findings from the report indicate that 61% of SMBs report low to medium effectiveness in threat investigation and 54% in threat hunting. Furthermore, 59% of the surveyed companies would require a week or more to detect a threat, signaling alarming delays in their response times. Financial repercussions of cybersecurity incidents are also highlighted, with 46% of respondents stating incidents cost their company upwards of $100,001.

Compliance with cybersecurity frameworks such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) remains a challenge. Although 81% have initiated the CMMC compliance process, only a mere 13% achieve Level 1 compliance, and 11% reach Level 2 compliance. The report calls on the Department of Defense, U.S. policymakers, and SMB CEOs to address these critical gaps to enhance the cybersecurity posture of the DIB’s SMB sector.