As the threat of cybercrime continues to rise, IT leaders are looking to make changes to their security strategies. The attacks, according to a new report from Neustar, are not expected to end any time soon.

Neustar released two reports on Thursday that showed IT security professionals are twice as concerned about data breaches and cyberattacks now than they were last year.

SEE: Information security policy (Tech Pro Research)

According to a press release, system compromises and ransomware pose the greatest threats to organizations, with 20% of respondents listing these as their primary concern. These were closely followed by other threats including DDoS attacks (19%), financial theft (18%), and intellectual property attacks (17%).

Some 47% of respondents noted that DDoS attacks are becoming increasingly harmful toward their organizations. This is up from last year’s 38%.This is likely perpetuated further by high-profile attacks like the Mirai botnet that took down Dyn in 2016.

Though the report found that 98% of respondents have begun to take steps to prevent Meltdown-Spectre attacks, 90% of respondents believe that these type of attacks will become the norm. The Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities are another example of an attack that garnered major headlines in the past year.

Once an organization finds out about an attack, it doesn’t take long for them to address it. The report found that it would take 68% of respondents between 60 seconds to five minutes to act on an attack.

According to Neustar, as companies adopt IPv6, attackers will continue to pursue it, making these type of threats rise.

Another future threat to watch out for it botnets. The report noted that, with the rise of IoT, botnets are evolving. Any cybercriminal can rent or purchase one, making botnets one of the biggest concerns for enterprises today.

“To successfully prepare for a cyber-attack in today’s landscape is to accept that your organization will be the next target,” Head of NISC and Neustar Vice President Rodney Joffe said in the press release. “If you are online, you are susceptible to an attack. Whether you are most vulnerable or not is entirely up to you.”

The big takeaways for tech leaders:

  • According to a report from Neustar, cybersecurity concerns have doubled from last year.
  • Even though IT leaders are more aware of threats, they must remain vigilant and study the latest threats and vulnerabilities.