In its mid-year security update, Symantec warned that IT managers face both old threats and new. Malware purveyors continue to use e-mail as a vector of infection, and spam now accounts for 90 percent of all mail, but the bad guys are also using new technologies such as social media and new business methods such as scareware to spread their reach.
"Attacks are getting more sophisticated and then there's the problem of what the IT budget will look like in six to nine months," said Zulfikar Ramzan, Symantec Security Response technical director. "Life is not getting easier."
"It's the consumerization of IT," said Ramzan. "Individuals use 'consumer tools' on-site, making it more challenging for the security manager."Such tools include consumer mobile devices and also social networks, thus spanning the gamut from hardware to software. "Mobile has long been the next frontier for attackers," said Ramzan. He added that no one operating system or tool dominates the space, making attacks less profitable than they would be in a monoculture.
The problem with attacks made through social networks, he said, is that recipients are more trusting of the source.
"If a message is coming from someone they know, users are more likely to do things that compromise their security," he said.
Absolutely. Even longtime Internet users can be tempted to act on a message from what seems to be a friend, relative or associate. It's just human nature. And as long as humans use computer networks, security challenges will remain no matter what the technology. Unfortunately for IT managers, I suspect we humans are here to stay for awhile. You'll just have to try to tolerate us.
Comment and Contribute
