MSP security confidence remains high despite rising breaches, research finds

The latest research from cyber risk management specialist CyberSmart has revealed that more than two-thirds (69%) of MSPs were hit by multiple security breaches over the past year – but leaders remain confident in their security capabilities.

The findings come from the second annual CyberSmart MSP Survey, conducted by OnePoll, which quizzed 900 MSP leaders across the UK, France, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands, with customers of various sizes ranging from 1-250+ employees.

It found that among that pool of MSPs reporting multiple breaches, a staggering 47% said they were struck by three or more attacks over that time period.

MSPs buoyant

Despite these high figures, the data painted a picture of confidence among participants, with 76% reporting either complete or above average confidence in their security posture.

Additionally, an overwhelming majority of MSPs (96%) rated their confidence levels as average or above, in line with the 97% recorded during last year's iteration of the survey.

However, while 20% of participants rated their cyber confidence as complete, the remaining 80% recognized that there was room for improvement.

In terms of confidence in customers' cybersecurity awareness, 93% of MSPs said they were confident in their customers' posture, with almost half (45%) stating that their customers had above-average confidence, and 17% reported complete confidence.

Future focus

Looking forward, CyberSmart said there is an "untapped opportunity" for many MSPs to get ahead of regulations – such as NIS2 directive, the EU AI act, and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) – and offer compliance-focused guidance and services.

Currently, just 39% of MSPs said they felt equipped to provide a solution or guidance to meet these increasing regulations.

In the eyes of MSPs, key facets of the path forward also include continuous monitoring capabilities (51%), employee cybersecurity training (51%), and proactive risk management (48%).

Engagement

Despite the survey findings highlighting a potential disconnect between confidence and actual readiness, CyberSmart CEO and co-founder, Jamie Akhtar, said most MSP leaders do have above-average cyber knowledge due to the supporting and advisory roles they play for customers.

"What these results really show is that the majority of MSP leaders are willing to engage with the wider community to improve their cybersecurity posture, protecting themselves and their customers from attacks," he explained.

"Ultimately, to stay ahead of attackers in this constantly changing discipline requires the right partners, latest resources, and best-in-breed security tools."