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Analyst Reports & Industry Surveys

Security market revenue up

Dan Kaplan June 25, 2009

Bucking economic trends, the global security software market saw a 19 percent growth in revenue last year -- totaling $13.5 billion, according to a Gartner report released this week. One of the major reasons for the rise was an increased interest in appliance products for email and web security and security and event management. Key drivers for purchases were data protection against targeted attacks, privacy and compliance. Symantec remains the top revenue producing company, but smaller vendors gradually are gaining market share. — DK

Criminal network to trade botnets and malware uncovered

Dan Kaplan June 17, 2009

Researchers at a web security firm have discovered what they term the latest milestone in the evolving cybercriminal underground: a one-stop-shop for hackers.

Malicous attacks increase

Dan Kaplan June 17, 2009

The number of breaches caused by insider malfeasance or hacker attacks is creeping upward, according to the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center. The organization said Tuesday that 18.5 percent of 250 breaches reported to the center so far this year were related to insider theft, compared to 15 percent last year and six percent in 2007. Similarly, the number of incidents caused by hackers rose to 18 percent this year, compared to 12 percent in 2008 and 14 percent in 2007. Combined, the two categories represent a 10 percent hike over last year. - DK

Survey finds hiring hurdles

Dan Kaplan June 04, 2009

Despite there being a surplus of available security professionals due to the down economy, 80 percent of hiring managers are having a tough time finding the right person, said a survey released Wednesday by accreditation provider (ISC)2. Respondents blamed the difficulty on a lack of desired skills, lack of available recruits within a certain area and salary demands that could not be met due to tight budgets. But the survey also found that 62 percent of respondents don't expect future budget cuts this year. — DK

Nonprofit releases security configuration standards for iPhone

Dan Kaplan May 29, 2009

Organizations issuing iPhones to their employers can now apply security configuration best practices, which were introduced this week by the Center for Internet Security.

McAfee documents riskiest search terms

Dan Kaplan May 28, 2009

Be wary while searching the internet for screensavers or lyrics -- or anything free, for that matter, according to a new report from McAfee.

Study finds IT security pros cheat on audits

Angela Moscaritolo May 27, 2009

IT security professionals might think of auditing as a pain, but some are actually cheating to get audits passed, according to a study released Wednesday.

Setting cybersecurity as a national priority is just the beginning

Greg Masters May 27, 2009

A review of federal cybersecurity policies, scheduled for release Friday, will serve as a call to action for the public and private sectors.

Spam accounted for 90 percent of all email in May

Dan Kaplan May 26, 2009

Spam levels rose again in May -- and there is no sign of a slowdown, according to a new report.

GAO report finds security lagging at federal agencies

Dan Kaplan May 21, 2009

Federal agencies continue to be lax in their implementation of information security programs, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

IT professionals confused about Web 2.0

Angela Moscaritolo May 20, 2009

Even IT professionals are confused about what constitutes Web 2.0, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Survey: Downturn in spending risks future information security

Chuck Miller May 14, 2009

The downturn in security investments and vulnerabilities in social networking are regarded as major threats to corporate information security, according to research from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Cloud computing providers require strong audits

Angela Moscaritolo May 11, 2009

Companies must develop better ways of evaluating the security and privacy practices of the cloud services they utilize, according to a report by Forrester released Friday.

Call for a global cyberthreat solution

Angela Moscaritolo May 06, 2009

Governments around the world must join together to create a transnational solution to cyberthreats, according to a report published Wednesday by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Federal CISO poll indicates high concern for external threats

Chuck Miller April 30, 2009

A new survey of federal CISOs indicates that external threats resulting in data loss are seen as the biggest risk to the federal government, followed by insider threats and software vulnerabilities.

National Academy of Sciences says U.S. needs cyberattack plan

Angela Moscaritolo April 30, 2009

U.S. cyber capabilities are at least as powerful as its most sophisticated adversary, but the country needs a clear plan should it decide to unleash a digital attack of its own, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences released Wednesday.

RSA: Security strategies in a down economy

Greg Masters April 23, 2009

IT security pros need new strategies to fund their initiatives, according to an RSA panel.

RSA: IT security budgets faring well

Greg Masters April 22, 2009

Driven by compliance demands and the threat environment, budgets for IT security have fared better than most other sectors during the economic downturn, according to a panel of analysts at the RSA Conference.

RSA: Build security into operations, says Symantec CEO

Dan Kaplan April 21, 2009

Just days into his new job, Symantec CEO Enrique Salem is calling for a colossal shift in the way vendors and end-users approach information security.

How the recession is affecting IT spending

Angela Moscaritolo April 20, 2009

Despite the financial crisis, companies are still putting forth money for IT security efforts while overall IT spending is less of a priority, according to a new survey conducted by strategy and business advisory firm MetroSITE Group, and Pacific Crest Securities, a technology investment bank.

Obama gets security review

Chuck Miller April 18, 2009

Mellisa Hathaway's review of U.S. cybersecurity has been submitted to President Obama, according to the Associated Press. No details are yet available of the 60-day review, which dealt with issues of coordinating cybersecurity programs spread among 42 different federal departments and agencies. It is expected, however, to recommend a framework to integrate public and private sector cybersecurity throughout the nation's computer infrastructure. — CAM

Phishing increased 40 percent in 2008

Angela Moscaritolo April 15, 2009

The percentage of people losing money to phishing attacks is higher than ever -- five million consumers in the United States fell victim during 2008, an increase of 40 percent over 2007, according to a new report from Gartner.

Spam: Environmental disaster

Dan Kaplan April 15, 2009

Apparently spam is more than a nuisance on your eyes and index finger: It's also killing the environment. A report from McAfee released Wednesday finds that the amount of computing power required to send, process and filter junk mail is 33 billion kilowatt hours per year, or roughly the amount of electricity used in 2.4 million homes. To put the findings in perspective, McAfee said the energy saved when spambot hosting provider McColo was taken offline last year equated to the fuel savings of taking 2.2 million cars off the road for one day. — DK

Despite downturn, IT security spending to increase

Angela Moscaritolo April 13, 2009

Management increasingly is recognizing security as a top business priority, which is resulting in higher budgets for some organizations despite the economic slowdown, according to a new survey.

Survey finds that SMBs often lack basic security

Angela Moscaritolo April 10, 2009

Despite being aware of the importance of security, small-to-medium-size businesses (SMBs) generally are not protecting their networks, according to a survey released Thursday by Symantec.

Microsoft report shows scareware, file-fomat bugs on rise

Dan Kaplan April 08, 2009

So-called scareware programs top the list of internet threats, according to Microsoft's sixth Security Intelligence Report.

Unauthorized software rampant

Angela Moscaritolo April 08, 2009

In a survey of 250 IT managers, 77 percent of respondents said they had a policy prohibiting unauthorized downloads. Yet 37 percent said they found unauthorized software running on more than half of endpoints in their enterprise, Tom Murphy, chief strategist at application whitelisting vendor Bit9 told SCMagazineUS.com. In addition, only 34 percent reported feeling confident that they will be able to remove unauthorized software this year. "[Respondents] feel like they are out of control, with regard to prohibiting and enforcing policies," Murphy said. — AM

SANS report shows security logs no longer "geek toys"

Chuck Miller April 07, 2009

Organizations use security log data to a greater extent than ever before, according to the 2009 Annual Log Management Survey from the SANS Institute.

Survey: Financial crisis fuels identity theft fears

Chuck Miller April 06, 2009

Most Americans believe the world financial crisis has increased their risk of identity theft or related crimes.

Insecure smart grid technology could result in utility attacks

Dan Kaplan March 23, 2009

Development of the smart grid faces a number of uphill climbs -- such as customer adoption and interoperability -- but security could prove of the most difficult tasks.