Top executives and company directors are making cyber andinformational security a top priority now more than ever, accordingto two Ernst and Young consultants introducing the findings ofE&Y's 2011 Global Information Security Survey at amedia lunch this week.

According to the survey, 72% of the more than 1,700 informationsecurity and IT professionals in 52 countries report increasinglevels of risk due to external threats.

Attacks are growing in sophistication and complexity where nowthey target specific people and behavior in a company—like topexecutives or individuals who travel in foreign countries—ratherthan its systems, said Jose Granado, principal and Americas'practice leader for Information Security Services. He was joined byChip Tsantes, principal in the financial services office where heleads the information security practice.