Everyday users and IT pros alike have a lot of computer security tools at their disposal these days. They can whitelist and block applications and easily put layered security in place. However, insider threats remain a harder nut to crack for IT professionals. A recent study by Cyber-Ark reports that almost 65 percent of IT managers and C-level professionals believe privileged account access has been involved in most recent security incidents.
“Insiders often leverage these privileged accounts to access stuff that they really shouldn’t,”, said Adam Bosnian, executive vice president Americas and corporate development at Cyber-Ark, according to Infosecurity. “There are these open doors to the gold of your organization. You need to start beingaware of them, you need to start controlling them, and you need to make sure the controls are effective.”
The report also said IT security priorities this year include vulnerability management for 17 percent of the 820 respondents. About 16 percent are looking out for privileged identity management, 15 percent are focused on security information and event monitoring, and 13 percent are looking at antivirus protection. All of these things are important, but businesses need to be sure to have a complete security approach so they don’t miss a key area.
“Whether it’s a malicious insider looking to steal information, or an external attacker looking to exploit privileged accounts to gain access to the network and sensitive information, it’s clear that privileged access points have emerged as the priority target of enterprise cyber-assaults,” said Udi Mokady, founder and CEO of Cyber-Ark. “This pattern has been demonstrated in some of the most high profile attacks, including Global Payments, Utah, and even with the recent Flame virus.”
Whether you work in IT or are just responsible for your home network, what kind of threats concern you? Have you had anything new pop up in the last year that is disconcerting? Let us know!