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Media Found Lacking On Cybersecurity
Mike Sachoff
Staff Writer
2009-08-04
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
The majority (80%) of journalists rarely or never inform their network administrator of online security concerns they come across, according to a new survey by AVG Technologies.
 | | Media Found Lacking On Cybersecurity |  |
More than half of those in the media don't change their passwords, or rely on their company to do it for them, even though 13 percent have experienced critical data loss or system failure due to malware in their systems.
"It is disconcerting to see what in concept is a very informed audience knowingly rolling the dice when it comes to staying secure on line - it is an important indicator of the practices of general consumers," said Siobhan MacDermott, head of global communications and investor relations with AVG.
"If the informed press is exposed, then even more so is the home user that is not as savvy at detecting or protecting against the latest scam."
Like consumers, nearly 70 percent of press reporters and editors feel threatened by malware or spyware, and most feel at risk conducting everyday online activities as part of their business, including downloads, email and correspondence with story sources yet most are failing to take basis steps to secure their cyber activities.
"As governments continue to fight against cybercrime and cyberterrorism, users that knowingly take risks and fail to secure their systems make the community more vulnerable," added MacDermott.
More than half (57%) of reporters considered themselves advanced or expert at detecting online risk, but the majority are failing to follow basic security practices. In fact, nearly 60 percent of those that placed importance on information security never changed their password.
"The value of the research is not that it exposes journalists, but rather it gives us great insight to how our more knowledgeable users are, or are not, protecting themselves," said MacDermott.
"This tells the security community that we have a great deal of work to do as users are not doing many of the basics."
Spam, phishing, and malware infection are the top threats editors face. Like many other industries, the media faces more risks due to their increased dependence on wireless access and social networking to do their job. The survey shows that:
36 percent use Wi-Fi networks most of the time, potentially endangering them to security risks associated with public networks
90 percent of them use some sort of social networking site, with LinkedIn (75 percent) the most popular site followed by Facebook (70 percent) and Twitter (51 percent).
20 percent access social networking sites both from their mobile phone and their computer
About the Author:
Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.
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