Cisco’s 2013 Annual Security Report

October 2013 Infrastructure

Findings from Cisco’s 2013 Annual Security Report (ASR) in South Africa revealing that the highest concentration of online security threats come from legitimate destinations visited by mass audiences, such as major search engines, retail sites and social media outlets.

According to Den Sullivan, head of architectures and enterprise, Cisco Emerging Theatre, “Each year, the security threats and defences change as a result of one another. The Cisco Annual Security Report is our expert research, highlighting global threat patterns and trends. Today, we live a blended work-personal life. With more and more devices, the number of end points for network security proliferates quickly. When ‘everything’ is connected, in fact before this, when the acceleration starts, IT organisations in South Africa will need to be ready for security scalability. There are many technologies available to secure today’s networks, and now is the time for South African CIOs to make sure their security is robust as more and more devices connect to their networks. It is important to consider security from the ground up and build it into the network’s intelligence, using the most suitable security standards and protocols.”

Today the trend towards Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is increasingly impacting IT departments, bringing complexity when it comes to security and IT support. The challenge that South African organisations are facing with BYOD is introducing and managing a solid security strategy.

Security risks rise in businesses are also on the rise because many employees adopt 'my way' work lifestyles in which their devices, work and online behaviour mix with their personal lives virtually anywhere – in the office, at home and everywhere in between.

The Cisco Connected World Technology Report is based on a survey commissioned by Cisco of 1800 Information Technology professionals across 18 countries*:

* 30% of South African respondents said there is no policy on the use of company-issued computers, tablets or smartphones in their organisations.

* Of those in South Africa who indicated their company has a policy on personal usage of company-issued devices, only half indicate they adhere to the policy most of the time.

* Less than 20% of South African respondents adhere to their company’s IT policy all the time.

* Less than a third (21%) of South African respondents use company-issued devices for other activities even though they are supposed to be for work-only.

Android malware

Android malware entered the mainstream consciousness in 2012 with explosive growth and the first documented botnet. Malware, short for malicious (or malevolent) software, is software used or programmed by attackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems. It can appear in the form of code, scripts, active content and other software. Malware includes computer viruses, ransomware, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, keyloggers, dialers, spyware, adware, malicious BHOs, rogue security software and other malicious programs; the majority of active malware threats are usually worms or trojans rather than viruses.

Spam trends

* Spam volume dropped 18% from 2012 to 2011, with spammers working 'banker’s hours' for a 25% drop in spam over the weekend.

* In 2012, the majority of spam was sent during the workweek – Tuesday was the heaviest spam day of the year.

* The top spoofed brands involve prescription drugs and luxury watches like Rolex and Omega.

* Spammers maximise the ROI of their efforts, targeting real-world events with specific and short-lived campaigns.

* January-March: Windows software, which coincided with the release of the Microsoft Windows 8 consumer preview.

* January-March and September-December: Professional networks like LinkedIn, correlated with the desire for a career change during the beginning and end of the year.

* September-November: Cellular providers around the release of the Apple iPhone 5.

The Internet of everything and security’s future

Looking ahead, the Internet of Everything represents the largest online trend today. As more people, things and devices connect to the Internet, more data from more places will be introduced across corporate and service provider networks, which open up new vulnerabilities and a need for more sophisticated security approaches.

* Exponentially more machine-to-machine (M2M) connections are coming online each day, leading to a proliferation of endpoints that extend far beyond mobile devices, laptops and desktops to an 'any-to-any' scenario in which any device can connect to any cloud to any application across any network.

* These new connections generate data in motion that needs to be protected in real time as it is evaluated for actionable insights through the network and before it’s compromised and causes irreparable damages.

* For network security professionals, the focus becomes content-neutral plumbing – shifting from the endpoint and the periphery to the network.

Read the Cisco 2013 Annual Security Report at http://www.cisco.com/go/securityreport





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Upgrade your PCs to improve security
Information Security Infrastructure
Truly secure technology today must be designed to detect and address unusual activity as it happens, wherever it happens, right down to the BIOS and silicon levels.

Read more...
The hidden cost of cheap networking gear
Duxbury Networking Infrastructure
When it comes to building a network, price is always a consideration, especially in the current economic climate, but there is a difference between smart spending and short-term savings with long-term losses.

Read more...
Open source code can also be open risk
Information Security Infrastructure
Software development has changed significantly over the years, and today, open-source code increasingly forms the foundation of modern applications, with surveys indicating that 60 – 90% of the average application's code base consists of open-source components.

Read more...
Fastest PCIe Gen 5.0 NVMe SSD
Products & Solutions Infrastructure
Sandisk has unveiled the WD_BLACK SN8100 NVMe SSD with PCIe Gen 5.0 technology, an internal SSD delivering speeds up to 14 900 MB/s and capacities up to 4 TB, with 8 TB solutions available soon.

Read more...
Unified storage solution
Products & Solutions Infrastructure
CASA Software has announced the local availability of Nexsan’s upgraded unified storage solution, Unity NV4000, which is ideal for mixed workloads, from virtualisation and video surveillance to secure backup and recovery.

Read more...
Suprema unveils BioStar Air
Suprema neaMetrics News & Events Access Control & Identity Management Infrastructure
Suprema launches BioStar Air, the first cloud-based access control platform designed to natively support biometric authentication and feature true zero-on-premise architecture. BioStar Air simplifies deployment and scales effortlessly to secure SMBs, multi-branch companies, and mixed-use buildings.

Read more...
Back-up securely and restore in seconds
Betatrac Telematic Solutions Editor's Choice Information Security Infrastructure
Betatrac has a solution that enables companies to back-up up to 8 TB of data onto a device and restore it in 30 seconds in an emergency, called Rapid Access Data Recovery (RADR).

Read more...
Advanced surveillance storage from ASBIS
Infrastructure Surveillance Products & Solutions
From a video storage solutions perspective, SkyHawk drives, designed for DVRs and NVRs, offer high capacity, optimised firmware, and a reliability workload rating of hundreds of terabytes per year.

Read more...
Power surges are killing our networks
Duxbury Networking Infrastructure
With power surges and lightning strikes becoming an all-too-familiar threat to South African infrastructure, Duxbury Networking is calling on local installers and network integrators to follow proper grounding protocols.

Read more...
A passport to offline backups
SMART Security Solutions Technews Publishing Editor's Choice Infrastructure Smart Home Automation
SMART Security Solutions tested a 6 TB WD My Passport and found it is much more than simply another portable hard drive when considering the free security software the company includes with the device.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.