Business heeds security lessons

Business heeds security lessons

Businesses are getting the message about information security in the wake of the recent spate of worm and virus attacks, according to information security specialists.

Telecom Advanced Solutions’ statistics from September 2003 indicate that incidents of virus infection have reduced, despite a return to usual email and browsing traffic levels following August lows during the Blaster worm outbreak.

While Telecom Advanced Solutions’ Safecom security service processed over 7.5 million business emails in September 2003, recovering from an unusually low 6 million emails in August, it had to block only 380 outbound viruses during September compared with 2,200 in August. An outbound virus is one that is sent from inside an organisation, indicating that the anti-virus systems within the organisation are not functioning correctly. Such viruses are typically transferred by remote workers who connect infected laptops to a business’ network – effectively infiltrating networks through an unguarded back door.

“Outbound virus detection is an excellent environmental indicator,” says Telecom Advanced Solutions Business Manager Security Services Leanne Buer.

“In this case, the low number of viruses detected reflects a growing awareness of the risks posed by remote users and greater commitment to internal systems and processes. “It shows policies have tightened and software updated to close any security holes. It also says our businesses have taken heed of recent lessons and are becoming much more savvy and aware,” she says.

Safecom is a suite of managed information security services provided by Telecom Advanced Solutions. Its Secure Mail Relays and Secure Internet Browsing services blocked over 150,000 viruses in September on behalf of corporate business customers, using a combination of proactive threat monitoring and leading anti-virus solutions.

Safecom has been providing security solutions and protecting New Zealand businesses from viruses and threats since 1999.

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