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`Local firms vulnerable to cyber attacks' [Business Times (Malaysia)](Business Times (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) KUALA LUMPUR: The risk of cyber attacks will heighten as Malaysia progresses towards becoming a developed nation as more devices will be connected to the Internet, says global information expert Symantec Corporation. It said Malaysia's mediocre cyber protection enforcement would not shield the country and its businesses from what was to come. Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report Volume 19, launched yesterday, revealed that targeted cyber-attacks globally rose by 91 per cent last year from 2012, while Malaysia's position in cyber vulnerability dropped slightly from 35th to 33rd among 157 countries. "Malaysia is vulnerable from these attacks because of the relatively high numbers of connected devices. As it progresses towards its goal of becoming an advanced nation by 2020, there will be more devices being connected to the Internet and, thus, more potential for cyber-attacks," said Nigel Tan, director of systems engineering at Symantec Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. The survey found that Malaysian businesses are vulnerable to malicious codes, spam, phishing hosts, bots, network attacks and Internet (web) attacks. Industries that are the most vulnerable are healthcare and transportation, which appeared in the top three of threat vulnerability for spam, phishing and malware. Tan said transport and healthcare in Malaysia had traditionally been less regulated in comparison to the financial industry, which is heavily regulated. "These two industries are very vulnerable in terms of identity theft, where criminals could harvest patients' and clients' identities and trade them in the underground economy. The more complete the information, the more they can make of it," he added. According to Symantec, the country's small and medium enterprises are especially vulnerable to these threats as they lack the funding for proper investments in security. Their small size, with as few as 250 employees, also makes data mining for criminals easier. Individuals with the highest risk of being cyber victimised are those who work in the media industry or as personal assistants as criminals view them as the gateway to even more valuable information. Symantec recommends that businesses know their data better and take greater steps in protecting it, educating employees and implementing strong security posture. Individuals, meanwhile, need to educate themselves to become savvier and be more vigilant. Symantec Singapore Pte Ltd vicepresident (Asia South Region) Eric Hoh said Malaysia was headed in the right direction, especially with the Personal Data Protection Act, but businesses and individuals themselves needed to be more savvy. (c) 2014 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad. All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company |