Why Taking the Right Security Measures Matters

The latest Dell Security Annual Threat Report makes for disturbing reading because not only are the number of vulnerabilities and instances of malware on the rise, but also that malware is starting to be delivered via encrypted connections that IT security defenses can't pick up on. Most of the attacks rely on the same basic set of exploit kits, but the targets are changing. "Everyone knows the threats are real and the consequences are dire, so we can no longer blame lack of awareness for the attacks that succeed," said Patrick Sweeney, executive director, Dell Security. "Hacks and attacks continue to occur, not because companies aren't taking security measures, but because they aren't taking the right ones." The report confirms that digital hackers have identified point-of-sale (POS) and other types of systems as targets worth compromising. For solution providers across the channel, this means that the scope of the IT services they need to provide is expanding at a time when hackers are becoming more sophisticated in how they deliver malware payloads. That may not be what solution providers want to hear, but as the saying goes, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.