Internal security threat pressing problem for CTOs

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Internal security threats are weighing heavy on the minds of many chief technology officers, according to a new survey.

Employees with unrestricted access to an organisation's Lan was the top concern to the 200 chief technology officers in a survey carried out by IT security company ConSentry Networks. The study found that 30 per cent of respondents surveyed had little or no confidence in their internal security arrangements. Another 44 per cent admitted to having little or no auditing capability of their Lan.

The survey found that respondent felt the need to invest more heavily in controlling access to the network with 18 per cent citing this as an issue. Another 18 per cent said that controlling what information employees can reach was a top priority for their firms.

When asked about their level of confidence in perimeter security that would protect against external threats, nearly one fifth of respondents (19 per cent) said they had 'little' or 'no confidence'.

The survey looked a broad range of companies ranging from telecoms, and financial to manufacturing and retail. More than 48 per cent of respondents worked in organisations of 500 employees or more.

Experts said the results meant that the need for identity-based controls was pervasive.

"Companies of all kinds are struggling with how to limit what their employees can access," said Tom Barsi, chief executive of ConSentry Networks. "This data validates that the battleground has shifted toward internal control and that it applies to controlling employees - not just what "outsiders" like guests and contractors can access."

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