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Current Filter: Security>>>>>> Internal security breaches soar Editorial Type: Industry Focus Date: 03-2014 Views: 2524 Key Topics: Security Insider Threats Cybercrime Monitoring Risk Management Key Companies: Key Products: Key Industries: | |||
| Despite the widespread occurrence of the insider threat, only one in four I.T. professionals consider this to be a security priority More than 300,000 internal security breaches took place in UK businesses in the last 12 months, an average of 1,190 per working day. The findings, released by security software provider IS Decisions in a new report, also found that, despite this regular occurrence, only 25% of IT managers consider insider threats to be in their top three security priorities. The new report, titled 'The Insider Threat Security Manifesto: Beating the threat from within', highlights the issue of internal security as a greater challenge for larger organisations, with 32% of businesses of over 500 employees having had internal security breaches in the last year. It also compares the occurrence of, and IT professional's attitudes towards, insider threats in the US, where the trend was echoed, with just 17.5% voicing concern, despite over 666,000 internal security breaches in the last year.
LOW PRIORITY Francois Amigorena, CEO of IS Decisions, comments: "It is human nature to see external sources as your greatest threat and that, coupled with the fact that insider threat is a complex issue to manage, has led to IT professionals seemingly turning a blind eye to the issue." The good news is that there is a lot that IT departments can do to mitigate the risks. "It's a technology issue, as well as a cultural one, and can be addressed from both of these angles."
ENEMY WITHIN THE GATES As the Edward Snowden scandal highlighted, if a disgruntled worker is determined to unearth critical information, it is not that hard to do so. "Snowden was an IT contractor, but he gained access to files he should not have by simply asking his colleagues to share their passwords. Once he had the log-on details, he went in search of highly confidential and sensitive data. Of course, malicious employees are the exception, rather than the rule."But they are not the only insider threat, the report points out. "Ignorant users are also perilous and Forrester research has shown that the greatest volume of security breaches (36%) come from employees inadvertently misusing data." Mitigating the risks around insider threats is not a simple task, IS Decisions concedes. "Nearly 9 out of 10 (86%) of IT professionals told us they did not realise that technology could help solve insider threats, so they seem to understand it as more of a cultural and organisational issue. Which it is, but technology can certainly help mitigate the risks; an optimum strategy should approach the issue from both angles."
A GLOBAL RISK
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