Vast Majority Of Staff Undermine Networks
Vast Majority Of Staff Undermine Networks
August 30th, 2006: Vendor report claims that 75 per cent of staff connect some sort of device to the corporate network via USB.
A leading security software company today issued a warning to companies who are not protecting their networks from one of the biggest internal threats - staff.
Howard Waterson, Asia Pacific Regional Manager for Centennial Software, says companies are exposing themselves unnecessarily to risks such as data theft and infringing privacy regulations.
"Organisations in the public and private sector who hold information about people have an obligation to protect that information," he said. "As we have seen with Centrelink recently, in instances where information is made available to staff, there is potential for that information to be used or accessed inappropriately."
"With the proliferation of mobile devices entering the workplace, data theft should be on the security agenda. Compact, portable devices capable of storing over 100GB will soon be available, which opens the door for data theft on a massive scale.
"Even without active security software, a clearly communicated policy can act as a solid deterrent until such time as these solutions can be put in place."
"Our research indicates around 75 per cent of staff connect some sort of device to the corporate network via USB. Of concern however, is that only around 15 per cent of companies are controlling the connection of these devices with some form of security software.
"With policies in place and the correct security tools applied, there really is no excuse for network administrators or security officers not to know what files are being accessed, when they're being accessed and what information is being dragged off the network onto a portable device.