27 Mar 2009

Staff 'must be aware' of security threats

Organisations are being warned to ensure staff are educated in how to identify potential security threats.

Workers should be trained to spot and ignore malicious attachments, claims Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at software and appliance provider Sophos.

The expert states that the issue of solving the conundrum of security breaches is essentially a human one.

"I don't think there's any kind of magic bullet really that solves the computer crime problem," Mr Cluley comments.

He adds that preventing people from buying products advertised on spam emails and downloading potentially malicious materials is one step firms can take to enhance protection.

Organisations must use "proper security" which defends the business at all times, even in the event of a lapse in concentration, the specialist concludes.

Sophos' recently-released Security Threat Report 2009 reveals five times more malicious attacks occurred at the end of 2008 than at the start of the year.