Forwarded From: Nicholas Charles Brawn <ncb05t_private> 16Apr98 UK: YOUR COMPANY INFO COULD BE AT RISK. According to a survey carried out by Reed Exhibitions, the easiest way to steal large companies' vital information is through the Internet gateways of their accountants, lawyers, advertising and PR agencies. Reed claims that 62 per cent of these professional advisors are using the Internet without any security, needlessly exposing their clients' data to potential theft, breaches of confidentiality, manipulation of data and deletion of files. According to the company, which is organising the Infosecurity 98 show, which takes place in London on April 28, many large companies which invest millions on their IT security systems may not have realised their systems are being circumvented by their professional advisors. The survey, which was commissioned by Reed and Check Point Software Technologies, claims to show that 80 per cent of medium-sized professional advisors use the internet as a business tool, and of these, 62 per cent were doing so without any Internet security. Of the 80 per cent using the Internet, Reed claims that 56 per cent had it connected to their networks, of which only 18 per cent had a firewall in place. Tim Porter, the Infosecurity 98 event manager, said the results were extremely worrying. "If companies use the Internet without a firewall or other forms of security, it is like leaving the front door of your house wide open, allowing anyone to steal your prized possessions," he explained. Porter clams the survey has exposed a major rupture in "the IT security chain". Large companies, he notes, often spend millions on their own IT security, but are ignoring their professional suppliers' security standards. Steve Barnett, Check Point UK's managing director, said that, as the use of Internet technology continued to skyrocket, the scale of this issue was almost too frightening to predict. "The results of the survey highlight the fact that large companies investing millions in IT security systems could in fact be wasting time, resources and money if security breaches are occurring via professional advisors," he said. According to Porter, everyone is aware of the issue of viruses and the importance of passwords, "however it is obvious that most companies are totally unaware of the dangers of not having a firewall". Further details of the survey, as well as InfoSecurity 98's three-day event, can be found on the Web at http://www.infosec.co.uk. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomot_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Dimensional Communications (www.dim.com)
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