Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management
    • Networking

    Symantec Finds Half of Critical Infrastructure Companies See Political Cyber-attacks

    By
    Brian Prince
    -
    October 6, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      A new report by Symantec underscores the threat facing critical infrastructure networks around the world.

      The statistics tell the tale. In its August Critical Infrastructure Protection Study, (PDF) covering 1,580 responses from businesses in “six industries categorized as critical infrastructure providers,” Symantec found that 53 percent had experienced what was perceived as a politically motivated cyber-attack, and 48 percent expect attacks in the next year. Businesses that had been attacked had been victimized by attackers an average of 10 times in the past five years at a cost of $850,000.

      “I think what’s happened is that there’s a very heightened awareness of the threat,” said Symantec CTO Mark Bregman.

      The survey’s responses came from businesses across six verticals: emergency services, energy, IT, banking, health care and communications.

      Only about a third of critical infrastructure providers reported feeling “extremely” prepared for all types of attacks and 31 percent felt less than “somewhat” prepared. According to the respondents, the areas that need the most improvement include “security training, awareness and comprehension of threats by executive management,” and “security audits.”

      Securing critical infrastructures is no small effort, and Symantec recommended that governments get more involved. For example, “Governments should partner with industry associations to develop and disseminate information” about government programs and best practices.

      “It’s important to recognize that even [though] we tend to think of critical infrastructure and large companies as being synonymous that’s not always the case,” Bregman said. “There are some sectors where small companies play a pretty critical role. One example would be emergency services, where at least in the United States a lot of the emergency services are provided by local small businesses, like ambulance services that need to be available in case of emergency-yet them being small businesses, they are not as well connected yet with these critical infrastructure protection programs.”

      Critical infrastructure security has been in the news heavily recently due to the emergence of the Stuxnet worm, which targets industrial control systems.

      No security is perfect, Bregman said.

      “Despite best efforts, there will be things that get through,” he said. “So it’s equally important to have a focus on resiliency and the ability to recover in the situation where a system does get taken down, or data does get corrupted or a breach does occur. It is not enough to build the best defenses and hope, ‘Now that I have great defenses nothing will ever get through.'”

      Brian Prince

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×