Hearing is not the same as listening. This aptly characterizes the relationship between cyber and business leaders in many organizations, according to research for the 2023 Global Cybersecurity Outlook study. The significance of cyber risk has certainly been heard in C-suites and boardrooms.

Whether cyber leaders and business leaders understand each other well enough to meet this challenge is, on the other hand, an open question.

Overall, the study indicates that business leaders are more aware of their organizations’ cyber issues than they were a year ago. They are also more willing to address those risks. Nonetheless, cyber leaders still struggle to clearly articulate the risk that cyber issues pose to their organizations in a language that their business counterparts fully understand and can act upon. As a result, agreeing on how best to address cyber risk remains a challenge for organizational leaders.