PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
As Infosec 2015 kicks off, here is our roundup of the latest security topics in the channel.
Infosec news
During the first day of the security event, the Cyber Security Breaches Survey, commissioned by HM Government and conducted by PwC, revealed that serious information security breaches cost a large business in excess of 1.46 million.
The research showed that 90 per cent of large businesses and 74 per cent of SMBs had experienced an information security breach in the last 12 months.
At Infosec Recorded Future revealed that it identified recent employee credential exposures for at least 49 per cent (244) of the FT 500 Europe, a Financial Times listing of Europe’s largest companies.
Wireless networks are the weakest security link in IT infrastructure, according to Fortinet Global Survey of IT leaders. 49 per cent of respondents said wireless networks were most exposed from a security standpoint.
Female employees are more aware of cyber threats
According to Blue Coat cyber security technology, over half (52 per cent) of female employees set up privacy settings so only certain people can see their full profiles, in contrast with just 36 per cent UK male employees.
The YouGov survey on 1,186 UK employees also revealed that the younger generation take more precautions when it comes to people accessing their information online.
Cyber security spend changing
Firms are shifting their cyber security spend from traditional prevent and protect approaches to detect and respond operations, according to Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) research.
It also revealed that 67 per cent of firms experienced a breach in the last year, and 100 per cent have been breached at some time in the past.
Yahoo accused of spying on emails
Yahoo will be facing a US class action lawsuit, after it was accused of illegally snooping in on content sent to Yahoo Mail users from non-Yahoo Mail accounts. The information was then reportedly used to boost the company’s advertising revenue.
IRS hack
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the US government agency that collects American taxes, was recently targeted by cyber criminals who broke into about 100,000 tax histories.
This gave them access to personally identifiable information (PPI), Paul Ducklin, senior security advisor at Sohpos, encourages those who were affected to apply for a credit freeze.
Ducklin said: “You might also want to apply for a credit freeze to force credit companies to contact you personally before dealing with credit applications in your name. That prevents crooks getting credit simply by applying online using your stolen PII."
Law company warns IT industry of risks
Law firm Moore Blatch is warning IT developers, contractors and users to make it clear in contracts who is responsible for all specifications and standards in a project.
The company says IT companies should be specific in the language used in contracts, and limit the developer’s risks by ensuring that both parties sign off the technical specifications as agreed contractually.
Importance of information security
European Automation has released a report that hopes to raise awareness among manufacturers about cyber security threats.
The report revealed in the UK 81 per cent of large corporations and 60 per cent of small businesses stated they had a breach in cyber security last year.
