Security Is Too Complex For Firms To Manage Alone, Says Check Point

Businesses are in the grip of a suffocating atmosphere of fear over the threat of hackers, DDoS, malware and internal threats, according to new survey by security vendor Check Point.

Despite the escalation of external threats, internal security is an increasingly common cause for concern says the vendor, with increasing incidences of data breaches in line with the growing complexity of security estates.

Enemy within

Of the 560 UK IT and infosecurity professionals quizzed by Check Point, 64 percent said that external attacks had increased significantly in the past 12 months. However, indirect internal data breaches are growing at a faster rate, it reported, as 57 percent have now reported an increased risk of internal data breaches, with the respondents blaming web and social media applications for the malaise.

Nearly half (42%) of the survey sample said security was now so complex it created a significant security risk of its own to their organisation and 40 percent of them expressed the view that simplifying their security estates would improve overall network and data protection.

Security-conscious organisations are deploying more products to deal with a growing range of external and internal threats, but the complexity of networks, applications and security is neutralising their potency, explained Tom Davison, UK technical director for Check Point.

“It’s harder for IT teams to manage their security estates, so vulnerabilities are not addressed and employees inadvertently cause breaches,” said Davison.

This is creating demand for trusted advisors to simplify and manage security, he argued. “When the security solutions themselves are creating a risk, it’s vital that organisations rethink their approach to protecting their networks and data,” said Davison. “They need to simplify and consolidate security management and make it easier to establish security policies.”

There’s a viable demand for resellers who can create practices that employees can easily follow in order to curb the risk of attacks and breaches, he advised.

Among the most popular security measures mooted were setting up employee awareness programmes, use of data encryption on sensitive documents, locking down USB ports on PCs, restricting the use of social media and instant messaging, and using data leakage prevention (DLP).

A significant proportion are their own worst enemies with 42 percent admitting they had no clearly-defined security policies for staff concerning data handling.