‘Viruses’ Top Worry, Security Wise, For SMBs

A survey that Trend Micro the anti-virus company conducted recently reveals that a mean of 63% of SMBs (small-and-medium businesses) regarded viruses on computers as representing the greatest worry, security wise. The survey polled more than 1,500 employees within Europe, USA and Japan.

Other most serious security concerns are Trojans (60%), data-stealing malware (59%), data loss (56%), spyware (55%), and scareware (52%), finds the research. On the lowest rank are phishing and spam attacks.

Said global director of education David Perry at Trend Micro, data loss posed severe security risk for SMBs. ComputerWeekly.com published this on November 5, 2010. Perry stated that it was just likely that data-stealing malicious programs as well as data leaks could climb up to No.1 and 2 spots on the Top Ten threats list during the upcoming years.

Also the researchers disclosed that the majority of modern security software packages safeguarded from a lot of worms and viruses. However, with respect to data-stealing programs, 21% of American SMBs said that there was more that their Information Technology wings could do for safeguarding end-users. In fact, just 47% of SMBs deployed security software that blocked such malware, 30% presented associated security procedures, while 28% gave appropriate guidance or education.

Further according to the survey, SMBs have 23% less chances of having policies for preventive data exposure compared to large businesses. Besides, 22% of big business respondents in USA believe that their staff really exposed data as against 10% of small business respondents.

Meanwhile, the standard small companies in USA have a tendency for worrying less regarding leakage of data compared to large or medium-sized companies. Whereas 74% of big business respondents in USA placed data loss at No.1 position on the threats list, merely 49% of small organization respondents in USA did the same.

Finally, in U.K, 73% of employees at big organizations stated that they knew about confidential data in contrast with 63% at small organizations. And, over 33% of working staff in small businesses as well stated that there was much more for the IT department to do about educating them regarding malware that captured data.

Related article: “Loopholes did not cause online banking thefts”: ICBC

» SPAMfighter News - 11/16/2010