The UK could soon face a serious computer security problem because it is putting off dealing with the threat posed by wireless technology. So claims Red-M after the company conducted a survey among 81 UK companies.
Some 68pc of them demonstrated what Red-M CEO Karl Feilder called "an alarming lack of urgency in securing computer networks against wireless risks".
What they say
"I’m beginning to believe that it will take a few catastrophic events to jolt business leaders into action," said Feilder. "Because they can’t physically see the threat they believe it doesn’t exist, yet the threat is much bigger than most companies realise. Business leaders must pay attention to this problem." Of the companies Red-M surveyed, 45pc mistakenly believed that their existing security measures would protect them against wireless intrusion, while 23pc of them believed that simply declaring their offices wireless-free zones was effective. "That’s like saying that because stealing is a crime we don’t
need to lock our buildings at night." Red-M came across several companies that said they had prohibited their employees from bringing wireless or Bluetooth technology in their buildings.
"What they don’t understand is that unless they’re monitoring their airspace 24 x 7, they have no way of knowing whether any rogue devices are on the premises," said Feilder. Another company told Red-M they believed monitoring their airspace would compromise their network. "The truth is that not monitoring your airspace 24 x 7 is what compromises your network," he said. "One major motor manufacturer told us that security was not a hot topic for them. They’re in a highly competitive business yet they’re laying their network wide open to intruders." Feilder also cited the finance company that assured Red-M they were quite safe because they scanned their premises once a month. "That’s like switching your fire alarm on once a month," said Feilder. "Probably the most horrifying reaction we had was from the London branch of a major European banking group which knew that their e-mail traffic could be read from outside their building but still didn’t feel compelled to take any action. These are all examples of the lack of understanding about the problem," he said.
According to Feilder, the advent of wireless technology has turned the world into a giant broadcast station which anyone can tune into to pick up the sensitive and confidential corporate data that is leaking out of companies. His message is simple: if you believe your existing wired network security measures are effective against wireless technology, you’ve lulled yourself into a false sense of security because wireless does not respect physical boundaries. This moment in the life of wireless technology is a bit like the early days of the internet before people understood that they needed to put up firewalls to keep intruders off their networks. Today no one would run a network without an internet firewall. All it takes is one wireless device on your premises to render your existing security measures impotent." Despite the lack of urgency their survey uncovered, Feilder said his company would continue its education campaign on the threat wireless poses to corporate network security. "We realise that people simply don’t understand the significance of the problem and we’ll keep talking about it until they do because the benefits of wireless outweigh the risks when it is properly managed," he said.
