Kaspersky Lab: Information is like water, it leaks

This year's IDC IT Security and Datacenters Transformation Roadshow, 8^th June, 2011, was dedicated to the new IT possibilities for organizations to make their workforce mobile and flexible, for instant developments in virtualization and cloud computing. However these changes can affect prevention of data leakage and loss. Thus the main trends that are shaping the way IT managers are securing their digital assets: the widespread use of mobile data, which brings along a totally new generation of threats were in the heart of the debate as well.

In the introduction of his lecture, Stefan Tanase, Senior Security Researcher at the EEMEA Research Centre, Kaspersky Lab Global Research and Analysis Team, said “we are currently witnessing a huge range of criminal activities in the cyber-world - from the classic online banking fraud to the more sophisticated economic spying, blackmailing or even industrial sabotage. This is the result of the increase in widespread use of data and information, both by individuals and companies”.

“Nowadays, we no longer just have a personal desktop computer at home and a business one at work, but a myriad of mobile devices on which we critically depend for our day-to-day life. These devices are usually fully loaded both with personal and business sensitive data, and thus exposed to exploitation,” explained Tanase. “The perimeter that we perceive as containing our critical business data is much vaguer and more open, right now, so traditional UTM/IPS solutions at the borders of the network start losing their value as data leaves the protected perimeter, becoming more and more mobile. Therefore, endpoint protection solutions are stepping into the spotlight as the last and most important security barrier, given also the new means of advanced evasion techniques implemented by malware to bypass gateway level protection technologies.”

Kaspersky Lab processes more than 70.000 new malicious programs, every day, such as viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, etc. During his presentation, Tanase also highlighted the exponential growth of malware: “If in 2006 Kaspersky Lab detected a new virus every minute, in 2011 we detect a new virus every second.”

The information leaks from different sources, for example form governments and corporations to average personal computers. Not only diplomatic cables, war journals, intelligence reports and companies internal documentation need protection but also personal passwords, credit card numbers, family photos and other personal documents. Although the average computer, tablet or smart phone user does not realize the possible consequences of using an infected device, since the signs of infection are often not visible, it can result in serious damage. Stolen names and passwords belonging to the users can lead to the emptying of your bank account or even worse, to an identity theft.

To conclude, for the safe use of IT devices, home and business users should review the security risks to which they are exposed and the solutions they are using to manage them. It is also important to pay attention to the physical security of your devices and to regularly educate yourself on developments in the field of IT security.

Kaspersky Labs is a Gold Partner of the IDC IT Security Roadshow in Kuwait, 2011.