Survey shows security attacks widespread and getting smarter

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 26 April 2006 18:19

Business IT - Technology

Juniper Networks Australia has released the results of a survey of Australian enterprises' experience of cyber security attacks.
72 percent of companies surveyed had experienced virus or worm attacks in the past 12 months, and 67 percent had received spyware or malware.

According to Greg Bunt, Juniper Networks' manager for emerging technologies for APAC, " IT decision makers interviewed for the report – including CIOs and other corporate leaders of information technology – were very concerned about the increasing sophistication of advanced threats such as phishing and spyware."

Frost & Sullivan surveyed 100 Australian companies of more than 250 employees each – from the finance, insurance, real estate, government, manufacturing, construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, services, transportation, communications, electric, gas and sanitary services sectors.

Forty two percent of respondents reported phishing attacks; 36 percent reported experiencing denial of service and distributed denial of service attacks; 27 percent experienced hacking attacks, and26 percent suffered a deliberate insider intrusion.

The report also revealed that, while corporate spending on traditional anti-virus measures and on perimeter defence, such as firewalls, will continue, 28 percent of IT decision makers are looking at investing in advanced protection via intrusion detection and prevention (DIP). Fifty-six percent of respondents who are open to outsourcing plan to outsource their network security via managed security service providers.