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03.23.10 Enterprises Vulnerable To Network Security Problems During Spring Break And Holidays  By
John Vinson When one thinks of network security, problems surrounding spring break and holidays rarely get mentioned. However, according to a PacketMotion survey, security issues are prevalent during spring breaks and holidays. Specifically, being able to track remote and mobile access, which is increased during breaks due to employees accessing work related networks and email from various locations. The survey questioned 100 network and information experts. The respondents were asked to grade their performance for detecting, and tracking remote/mobile network access. Here's a list of how the results turned out, ranking A-F (A being the best grade, and F=failing): A Grade - 25% B Grade - 41% C Grade - 20% D Grade - 8% F Grade - 4% Other - 2% During spring breaks, security is a huge liability. Employees will use laptops and mobile devices to access projects and access files. During this time, it's all too common of an occurrence for prying eyes to obtain information and exchange it to cyber criminals for easy money. One statistic which might leave many scratching their head, is that 38 percent of those surveyed stated IT administrators were the greatest risk. Considering these people are generally handling security, this is quite unsettling. Paul Smith, PacketMotion president and CEO stated his thoughts on the IT admins, "When the group entrusted with the highest level of access is considered to be the greatest risk to security and compliance, the only way to mitigate risk is to invest in solutions that better detect, analyze and report suspicious behavior regardless of whether the employee is an administrator or an end user. Bottom line: We must have controls in place that prevent a fox from guarding the henhouse." While security is generally focused on internal matters, mobile and remote access is looked over. If these results are anything to go by, then improvement is needed on all fronts. Smith states his analysis of the findings, "These findings are troublesome. Unfortunately, internal security is more focused on controlling access to applications and not on broader controls for specific groups such as VPN remote users." "Only a quarter of the respondents have made adequate investments in their security and compliance programs. The majority of organizations still have considerable ground to cover in managing remote user access to reduce risk. If organizations don't address this threat, they will fall prey to insiders and outsiders who are preparing to take advantage of periods when remote and mobile access spikes." About the Author: John is a staff writer for WebProNews. |
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