Employees Remain Biggest Cyber Threat
Insiders remain the biggest threat for network security, according to a survey conducted by PacketMotion. The insiders provide foreign intelligence and cyber miscreants with direct access to networks, largely through failing to abide by established security policies.
The majority of the 22 government security professionals who participated said the majority of data breaches were a result of lax security controls and a lack of compliance by employees with security policies.
The survey showed “the reality that the [hacker] will hijack or use the credentials of internal users,” said Jonathan Gohstand, vice president of marketing and product strategy at PacketMotion. “Access controls get implemented in government, but rarely are permissions audited and updated effectively.”
While access controls are a start, Gohstand says more must be done.
“Access controls are a great first step if you can implement them effectively, but it doesn’t protect against abuse,” he said. “The question has to be not only what rights does [the employee] need to have do his job, but also what does he do with those rights.”
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