Identity Theft Epidemic Pressures IT
Regulations and public outrage will force a clampdown on sloppy physical security practices. The problem of identity theft–the loss of millions of individuals’ personal data around the world–will get much worse. That means huge losses for consumers and companies, and tighter data privacy regulations. IT executives don’t expect technical solutions will end security breaches any time soon; most say damage from viruses and computer worms will rise significantly over the next five years. Inadequate mobile security is emerging as a new nightmare. But the biggest threat to security and identity is careless behavior: More IT executives say lost or stolen laptops or computer media represent a significant security threat to their company’s IT assets than attacks on corporate networks; infected e-mail, downloads or Web sites; or vulnerabilities in software or anti-virus programs. Changing behavior is notoriously difficult, but companies will need to do it.
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