Canadian Executives Feel their Data is at Risk

In Canada, almost 50% of business executives believe that hackers could access their stored confidential information by committing security breaches, according to a new research by IT outsourcing firm Fusepoint Managed Services.

Fusepoint Chief Executive George Kerns said in a statement that many executives were rushing on the path of information technology, unprotected and exposing businesses and customers to risk. A small fraction of prevention values up to lot of protection especially for sensitive data, Kerns remarked. Reuters published Kerns' statement on October 24, 2007.

IT Security Director Robert Weaver at ING Director said that companies which do not have anti-virus deployed end up damaging their businesses and their association with other organizations. ITworldcanada published this in news on October 25, 2007.

Once such careless companies allow malware or keystroke loggers to enter their systems and compromise them, things get loosened up at those companies and they can do nothing more, whereas it is quite simple to fix such weaknesses, Weaver said.

According to the survey, a huge 85% of employed Canadians are anxious about storing their personal information online with 12% reporting having fallen for identity theft or knowing someone becoming a victim. It might be interesting to know that 22% of employed Canadians are more careful about their own personal information than that of their customers or clients, with 17% reporting that a security breach affected their company.

For an organization that experiences a data hack or exposes its private and confidential data, the mess that would result could take it towards destruction, Kerns observed. It is in human nature to think a problem would not occur to them till they are close to it, he said.

The survey findings confirm a recent research by the federal privacy commission, which said that most Canadians fear their private information was unsecured and susceptible to unauthorized access if third parties stored it.

Further, major data hacks such as at TJX have not significantly changed companies' activities, for 39% of respondents said they were continuing with their business like before. Meanwhile, various data breach researches suggest that executives need to protect customers' data more responsibly.

Related article: Canadian Retailer Faces Security Breach of Customer Credit Numbers

» SPAMfighter News - 11/14/2007