Forwarded from: Richard Forno <rfornoat_private> This is simply BSA trying to get some part of the Homeland Security Paranoia Pie by releasing a FUDDY report designed to scare instead of educate. Your comment about what constitutes an IT Pro are equally dead-correct. Remember only last month the ADTI (where did they come from anyway?) FUD-filled report claiming OSS was a threat to national security, when the report came out it spoke only about economic and legal threats to established commercial entities, giving only 3 paragraphs or so to 'terrorism' In times of war or political uncertainty, FUD reigns supreme over all! :( rick infowarrior.org > From: InfoSec News <isnat_private> > Reply-To: InfoSec News <isnat_private> > Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 05:37:59 -0500 (CDT) > To: isnat_private > Subject: [ISN] U.S. Businesses at Risk for Major Cyber Attack, IT Pros Say > > http://www.ipsos-reid.com/media/dsp_displaypr_us.cfm?id_to_view=1583 > > [Rarely do I forward on a raw press release, usually I ask the PR > bunnies to send me a news article after the press release is sent > out (they almost never do) and that is why its rare to see a raw > press release in InfoSec News. This time you will want to read all > the fine print of this survey, and maybe in the corner of your > office you will hear those Vikings chanting... FUD, FUD, FUD, FUD, > Lovely FUD, Lovely FUD, FUD, FUD, FUD. :) > > The major problem I have with this survey is that its from polling > 602 IT Pros, and they are using that term lightly. Of the 602 IT > Pros surveyed, Other as a job title is the largest group at 30% or > 183 people, (11 Information System specialists, 11 Web developers, 9 > Data services, 8 Computer technicians, 8 Technicians unspecified, 6 > trainer/retention specialists, 6 Quality Assurance/tester 12 Other > technicians specified, 8 Other network posititons, and 93 Other > others. (whatever that really is) The next largest group was > Executive/Manager with 24% or 146 people and not to bore you with > the details the largest job title within that group with 19% is > Other executive/manager) > > 40% of these IT Pros have been at it for five years or less, with > 30% of them at 6-15 years. > > 39% of these IT Pros have no input on purchasing or developing > online security or cyber-security. 30% have informal input on these > recommendations, 18% have significant input, and 11% make the final > recommendations. > > Being this is a BSA survey, 92% of those surveyed have anti-virus > software installed on every computer, I'd be curious to know if > everyone of those machines have their own license, or if the network > has just one license shared on every machine. :) > > Nowhere in these survey reports do I see any mention or variation of > security professional as a job title, I'm willing to bet a shiny new > quarter that you could get the same results from this crowd if asked > their opinions on mainframe computer purchases as I am sure these > 602 IT Pros can speak as authoritatively on that subject, as they > have on cyber security. I would love to see these survey questions > asked to 602 information security professionals and then see the > results, but until then, this survey is just more FUD. - WK] > > > > -=- > > > IT Pros Perceive Gap Between Threat of a Major Cyber Attack and U.S. > Businesses' Ability to Defend Against It > > BSA Press Release July 24, 2002 > > Washington, D.C. - The Business Software Alliance (BSA), with its > media partner Business 2.0 Magazine, released the results of a poll > today of information technology professionals in which half of all > IT pros (47%) say that U.S. businesses are at risk of a major cyber > attack in the next 12 months. Additionally, nearly 2-in-3 IT Pros > (62%) say the risk of a major cyber attack on the U.S. has increased > since 9/11. Moreover, more than 2-in-3 IT pros (68%) say there is a > gap between the threat of a major cyber attack and U.S. businesses' > ability to defend against it. Nearly 3-in-4 IT Pros (71%) say that > U.S. businesses should devote more time and resources to defending > against cyber attacks than it did to addressing Y2K issues. [...] - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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