A survey of 1500 senior executives has found more than half expect a ransomware attack at their organisation in the next year.

Gaps in worker readiness are limiting the effectiveness of security, LevelBlue’s poll shows, with the top four most likely attack types all arising from workforce vulnerabilities.

The cybersecurity group’s survey of executives, mostly technology chiefs, covered Australia, north and south America, Europe, India, South Korea and Singapore.

“CTOs are confident in their technology, but resilience ultimately depends on how well people, processes and priorities align,” LevelBlue chief security and trust officer Kory Daniels said.

“For example, 57% say ransomware attacks are imminent, and 50% say the same about business email compromise. Closing the gap between technical capability and organisational readiness, especially in the face of AI-driven threats, will ... maintain trust.”

About 20% of those surveyed had experienced breaches in the past year.

While organisations are confident in their security technologies, 75% of CTOs say unclear ownership is impairing their cyber resilience strategies.

Many CTOs say AI-driven attacks are imminent (39%), but only about one-quarter feel prepared to manage them or prioritise workforce education on cyber resilience.

LevelBlue warns a lack of accountability can delay response times and disconnect cybersecurity from broader business risk.

See the survey report here.