Dec 24, 2012

50 Percent of Companies Ignore Cyber Threats

Nearly half of companies today say they are unaware about the potential security threats they may face, according to a survey conducted by market research agency B2B International on behalf of Kaspersky Lab. Not only do companies lack knowledge about cyber threats, but 58 percent of the IT professionals surveyed said they lack resources in both staffing and improving IT security systems. As a result, IT professionals say their organizations are unable to cope with cyber security threats. According to the company release, a lack of staffing was mainly due to poor understanding among senior managers of the reasons why IT departments exist. Unfortunately, it seems the biggest concern, however, is that 31 percent of these IT specialist were completely unaware of any the most common cyber epidemics that pose direct threat to their organization. If these figures even slightly represent IT professionals in all organizations, then it’s no surprise that we hear of big corporations like Adobe, Nissan, and Zappos being hacked – even worse, 15-year-olds who can hack 259 companies within three months, as was the case in April of 2012. When taken at a closer look, the threats IT most often faced included malware, spam, and unauthorized attempts to penetrate the system. However, according to Kaspersky, internal threats from personal mobile devices on corporate networks are the most serious issues IT departments face today. While half said they are beginning to pay attention to the issue of BYOD, 10 percent said they had experienced critical information leaks due to the loss or theft of a mobile device. When it comes down to it, however, only nine percent plan to introduce tough restrictions regarding BYOD regulation. In addition, IT professionals listed “control over mobile devices” as their last concern. Other security risks cited were intellectual property theft at 31 percent, computer fraud at 26 percent and industrial espionage at 24 percent. “Companies shouldn’t underestimate global cyber threats. This issue has started to be taken seriously of late, and businesses have begun to worry, leading to increases in the number of IT staff working specifically in IT security (now 40 percent of IT staff in companies all around the world),” said Eugene Kaspersky, chief executive officer and co-founder of Kaspersky Lab. “However, IT security staff are not always sufficiently trained and competent to protect businesses from the most pertinent threats.” Kaspersky continues, stating, “Increasing the level of computer literacy among staff is an essential element of security, while senior management needs to be fully aware of the potential consequences of cyber threats, and understand that reliable protection of the corporate network is vital in ensuring the effective development of a company’s IT infrastructure.” More than 3,300 senior IT professionals from 22 countries took part in the Kaspersky Lab survey. According to Kaspersky, all respondents had an influence on IT security policy, and a good knowledge of both IT security issues and general business matters. All respondents came from either a small business, medium business, or enterprise organization.