IT security specialist warns of significantly increased security threats for Irish businesses in 2013
IT security specialist warns of significantly increased security threats for Irish businesses in 2013
Pictured: Sean Rooney, technical director of Integrity Solutions
Many Irish businesses are facing increased security threats in 2013, according to IT security specialist Integrity Solutions.
Mobile malware, securing the big data mountain, increasingly sophisticated social engineering, social networking attacks, and issues surrounding security and compliance in the cloud will all become more prevalent this year, it said.
Following major security breaches in recent times at large international businesses such as Sony, LinkedIn, Global Payments and RSA, even the most successful organisations are finding it difficult to protect all of their data, all of the time, the company noted.
In Ireland, there were a smaller number of high-profile security breaches in 2012 but this should not put organisations off their guard.
“We are beginning to see more of a ‘prevention is better than cure’ attitude in Irish organisations at present,” explained Sean Rooney, technical director of Integrity Solutions.
“While this is a positive step, we cannot stress strongly enough that much more will have to be done to ensure adequate security precautions are in place. This means that businesses need to take a holistic view of their security postureThey must understand not only what their ‘crown jewels’ are, but also where they are located, and then do everything in their power to protect them. With an increasingly mobile workforce this isn’t necessarily an easy task.
“IT security monitoring can no longer be seen as an add-on, it must be seen as a critical business function. Regardless of how many security devices are protecting a network, if traffic isn’t being actively monitored companies have no insights into what’s going on. With all the potential threats to organisations, a risk-based approach is needed where monitoring, detection and response are central.
“IT security attacks will happen but the important thing is to be aware of any attack and contain it as quickly as possible to minimise any loss or damage. A risk based security strategy will allow organisations to have the adequate controls in place to protect their most important data assets and to be aware of any incident as it is happening and not days or months afterwards when it is too late to remedy.”