Where are You Vulnerable Security Traps Abound
Even as IT spending is under the gun in 2009 as budget cuts continue and IT projects are delayed, security remains a top concern and priority among IT professionals. Security breaches have decreased in number, but they’ve increased in severity in 2008, according to a recent survey of 1,500 IT professionals, commissioned by CompTIA survey. Here’s what to look out for.
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The combination of human error and technical malfunction is the most prevalent cause of severe security breaches, both inside and outside of the United States. The survey reveals that intentional breaches and spyware are the least likely factors to cause a firm’s most severe security breach.
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Human error-related security breaches most often occur as the result of users failing to follow security procedures.
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Mobile devices, often not covered by corporate IT security policies, are a big source of vulnerability. They can include mobile phones and even USB thumb drives.
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Social networks also represent a threat. With more employees accessing Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites from their work PCs and from their mobile phones, IT organizations must take a closer look at the risks.
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Breaches mean not only data loss. They also mean lost productivity. U.S. IT staff members spend 10 to 14 percent of their time dealing with breaches, depending on the company size. And outside of the U.S., staff members are likely to spend even more time dealing with breaches.
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While more companies are implementing comprehensive written IT security policies in the United States – over 60 percent in 2008 – whether a company has one or not is largely influenced by the size of the company. Small companies are the least likely to have such a policy. And most policies do cover remote and mobile employees, but far fewer cover mobile devices.