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Few firms ready for cyber attacks

Cape Town - Although companies are aware of the threat posed by cyber attacks, only 41% of them have the infrastructure to protect themselves against an online onslaught.

This is according to a recent Kaspersky Lab survey, reports website Gadget.

Research showed that companies already recognise cyber-threats as one of the most pressing business problems, but in 41% of cases corporate infrastructure lacks the necessary protection to handle online attacks.

The situation is no better when the focus shifts to cybercrime-related threats. In particular, 48% of companies are insufficiently protected against intellectual property theft, which is commonly carried out online.

Among IT professionals surveyed, 51% are sure that their system protection infrastructure would be powerless in the face of a serious attempt at industrial espionage.

Employee awareness - a crucial factor in the battle against modern malware and its potential consequences - fares even worse, with 31% of the specialists surveyed not fully aware of today’s Trojans, nor of the means used to conduct targeted attacks on companies.

Only 27% of business representatives had heard about the cyber-weapon Stuxnet, and a mere 13% were aware of the Trojan Duqu, designed for the targeted collection of confidential information.

It is vital for IT professionals to know about modern threats, and equally important to train employees in the main rules of computer security.

Companies that deploy and ensure compliance with systematic security policies also have greater protection against the careless activities of employees.

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