The 2006 DTI
biennial Information Security Breaches Survey reveals that while
the disruption was usually minor, roughly a quarter of companies
who reported a virus as their worst incident had major disruption,
with important services such as email down for more than a day.
The telephone survey of 1,000 organisations, carried out by a
PricewaterhouseCoopers-led consortium, reveals that the majority of
UK businesses (88% of those surveyed) now have broadband. It warns
that the threat from malicious software has never been greater.
Despite this, fewer firms had viruses than in the last two
surveys, with infection rates dropping by roughly a third in the
past two years. The report puts this down to an increased use of
anti-virus software.
Companies without anti-virus software did not in fact report
many infections. One explanation is that companies that suffer
virus infection tend to install anti-virus software afterwards.
More worrying is the possibility that some do not realise a virus
has infected their systems, says the survey.
Two years ago, a small number of viruses, such as the Netsky
virus, dominated, but now no single virus has caused widespread
damage. Instead viruses seek not simply to damage, but to
infiltrate and take advantage – whether this is in the form of
obtaining information, or in taking control of the infected PC
itself.
The survey reveals that a quarter of UK businesses are not
protecting themselves against the threat caused by spyware,
software that is used to collect information about an individual or
organisation without their knowledge. As a result roughly one in
seven of the worst incidents involving malicious software related
to spyware.
On a positive note, the survey shows that patching discipline
has improved: nearly nine in 10 UK businesses (88%) apply new
operating system security updates within a week of their release,
compared with 79% of businesses in 2004.
"It's very encouraging to see the progress that UK companies
have made in installing anti-virus software and patching their
systems. However, there's a danger of fighting yesterday's battle,”
warned Chris Potter, partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“Past viruses were designed to cause large amounts of
indiscriminate damage typically by taking down targets' networks.
Today's viruses have become more insidious. These programmes lie
hidden on infected machines, gather information and target their
strikes at valuable data. Cyber-criminals now use virus infections
to get in under the radar of businesses and steal confidential
data.
"The damage that viruses can cause extends beyond systems and
ultimately can affect a company's customers, business relationships
and reputation in the marketplace,” he added. “The threat has never
been greater, so this is no time for complacency. Tomorrow's battle
has only just begun. In that battle, a multi-layer defence of
patching, up to date anti-virus software and intrusion detection
software offers the best protection."
The full results of the survey will be published at the Infosecurity Europe exhibition
and conference, due to be held in London between 25th and 27th
April.
