Don’t turn a blind eye to software vulnerabilities: Kaspersky
It is not just enough to choose the right software for your enterprise, it is equally important to update it frequently
Dec 03, 2013
Software that is not updated is like a door opened in the dead of night. Though IT security experts have been warning against leaving such doors opened, individuals and enterprises continue to turn a blind eye to the impending threats.
Vulnerabilities are ultimately the responsibility of developers, rather than companies using the software. The company’s IT infrastructure will remain vulnerable until software developers release updates to patch these vulnerabilities.
"Vulnerabilities in software regularly used by employees at work are the leading cause of internal cyber-security incidents in business," Kaspersky’s Global Corporate IT Security Risks 2013 survey said.
The study was conducted by B2B International in collaboration with the Moscow-based Internet security solutions company.
Russia topped the list with 51 per cent of respondents suffering from such vulnerabilities. This was followed by 43 per cent of companies based in the Asia-Pacific and 38 per cent of companies in North America. Japanese companies had the lowest frequency of vulnerability-related security problems at 29 per cent.
While the number of such incidents has fallen since 2011 — from 47 per cent to 39 per cent, it is still high. In all about 85 per cent of companies have reported internal IT security incidents, and software vulnerabilities were the single biggest cause.
"Vulnerabilities in legitimate software programmes are a major source of corporate computer infections and critical data leakage. About 39 per cent of the survey participants said over the past 12 months this had been the case at least once for their organisations," it said.
Vulnerabilities are ultimately the responsibility of developers, rather than companies using the software. The company’s IT infrastructure will remain vulnerable until software developers release updates to patch these vulnerabilities.
"Vulnerabilities in software regularly used by employees at work are the leading cause of internal cyber-security incidents in business," Kaspersky’s Global Corporate IT Security Risks 2013 survey said.
The study was conducted by B2B International in collaboration with the Moscow-based Internet security solutions company.
Russia topped the list with 51 per cent of respondents suffering from such vulnerabilities. This was followed by 43 per cent of companies based in the Asia-Pacific and 38 per cent of companies in North America. Japanese companies had the lowest frequency of vulnerability-related security problems at 29 per cent.
While the number of such incidents has fallen since 2011 — from 47 per cent to 39 per cent, it is still high. In all about 85 per cent of companies have reported internal IT security incidents, and software vulnerabilities were the single biggest cause.
"Vulnerabilities in legitimate software programmes are a major source of corporate computer infections and critical data leakage. About 39 per cent of the survey participants said over the past 12 months this had been the case at least once for their organisations," it said.