Illegitimate Invasions At Big US Enterprises Increased 26% During 2010

According to Amplitude Research, which conducted the Sixth Annual Enterprise IT Security Survey that VanDyke Software sponsored, during 2010, 67% of big enterprises reported encountering a minimum of one illegitimate invasion into their servers, office computers and network. Comparing this figure with that of 2009, a 26% increase in illegitimate invasions has been observed, with Trojans, viruses, worms, spyware, spam and other malware reported as the greatest dangers.

The second greatest danger that respondents reported apart from spyware and viruses is hacking, at 17%; user error, security unawareness and employee carelessness at 12%; sabotage, illegitimate access inside the enterprise and disappointed employees at 5%; and data loss, leakage of information and theft at 5%.

When questioned as to which source was most frequently used for invasion 350 network and IT professionals detected network or hacker attack at 14%. This was followed with inadequate security measures or policies (12%); web usage by staff (10%); spyware, virus and malware (9%); employee carelessness (8%); disappointed workers (6%); software vulnerabilities (5%); absence of program updates (5%); and easy-to-crack passwords (5%). The IT security poll by Vandyke Software revealed this.

Specialists, while remarking about the survey's outcomes stated that during 2005-08, the total number of big enterprises telling about experiencing an invasion varied between 51% and 58%. During 2010, the rate was at its peak considering the period from 2005, Amplitude Research's annual survey for VanDyke revealed.

Furthermore, as per Info Security that published its news on October 22, 2010, in the case of other classifications of enterprises with respect to size, the percentage complaining of an illegitimate invasion remained more or less constant during 2009-10. Of "midsize" enterprises having 1,000-4,999 employees, 57% during 2009 and 59% during 2010 reported an invasion. Of "small" enterprises having 100-999 employees, 45% during 2009 and 43% during 2010 reported an invasion. Of "micro-size" businesses having less than 100 workers, 25% during 2009 and 2010 each reported an invasion.

Finally, the survey found that just as during 2007-09, in 2010 also, the unauthorized invasions reported, frequently impacted the financial system in "high" alternatively "medium" form and/or invaders might've acquired sensitive data.

Related article: Illegitimate Software Increases Organizations’ Vulnerability To Security Threats

» SPAMfighter News - 11/1/2010