Forwarded From: Nicholas Charles Brawn <ncb05@uow.edu.au>
16Apr98 UK: YOUR COMPANY INFO COULD BE AT RISK.
According to a survey carried out by Reed Exhibitions, the easiest way to
steal large companies' vital information is through the Internet gateways
of their accountants, lawyers, advertising and PR agencies.
Reed claims that 62 per cent of these professional advisors are using the
Internet without any security, needlessly exposing their clients' data to
potential theft, breaches of confidentiality, manipulation of data and
deletion of files.
According to the company, which is organising the Infosecurity 98 show,
which takes place in London on April 28, many large companies which invest
millions on their IT security systems may not have realised their systems
are being circumvented by their professional advisors.
The survey, which was commissioned by Reed and Check Point Software
Technologies, claims to show that 80 per cent of medium-sized professional
advisors use the internet as a business tool, and of these, 62 per cent
were doing so without any Internet security.
Of the 80 per cent using the Internet, Reed claims that 56 per cent had it
connected to their networks, of which only 18 per cent had a firewall in
place.
Tim Porter, the Infosecurity 98 event manager, said the results were
extremely worrying. "If companies use the Internet without a firewall or
other forms of security, it is like leaving the front door of your house
wide open, allowing anyone to steal your prized possessions," he
explained. Porter clams the survey has exposed a major rupture in "the IT
security chain". Large companies, he notes, often spend millions on their
own IT security, but are ignoring their professional suppliers' security
standards.
Steve Barnett, Check Point UK's managing director, said that, as the use
of Internet technology continued to skyrocket, the scale of this issue was
almost too frightening to predict.
"The results of the survey highlight the fact that large companies
investing millions in IT security systems could in fact be wasting time,
resources and money if security breaches are occurring via professional
advisors," he said.
According to Porter, everyone is aware of the issue of viruses and the
importance of passwords, "however it is obvious that most companies are
totally unaware of the dangers of not having a firewall".
Further details of the survey, as well as InfoSecurity 98's three-day
event, can be found on the Web at http://www.infosec.co.uk.
-o-
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Received on Fri Apr 17 08:38:04 1998