Male Workers Responsible for Spyware Surge
Men at work are more likely to use their PCs to introduce spyware and other threats on to their company networks than female employees, according to SurfControl. A SurfControl survey of 300 men and women showed that male workers consistently made more regular use of the online facilities and PC technologies that often act as the source of malicious threats.
Office workers were asked how frequently they made use of personal Instant Messaging and Web-based email, downloading and swapping free video and music files, playing online games, recreational surfing, downloading free software, storing personal files on the network and using removable media such as; DVD, CD-ROM, USB flash drives etc. In each case men were found to be more likely to use these facilities on a regular basis than women, but each of these activities is known to be responsible for bringing spyware onto the network.
"In some instances differences between men and women's PC usage patterns seem very small but in other cases there is a significant distinction," outlined Steve Purdham, CEO of SurfControl. "Men are more than twice as likely to use USB ports and to run CD-ROM and DVD media daily and in many of these cases their use is unrestricted by the employer. They are three times more likely to download free software everyday in the office and this could well be exposing their employers to malicious threats unless measures are taken to better manage user abuse more effectively. It seems at odds with most company's security policies that this activity should be going on."
According to Purdham, the risk of spyware entering the network should also be cause for concern amongst employees themselves: "Looking at the results of our study, more than 70% of employees use their work PCs for personal online banking, with 40% of men and 30% of women using it a couple of times a week. Also, 65% of workers use their PCs to store personal and potentially sensitive information so they too must be mindful of the threat that spyware and other emerging threats can pose. The real issue here isn't whether men or women are bringing malicious threats onto the network, it's about raising awareness across the board to mitigate the threat posed to all parties and galvanise employers' resolve to deal with the issue."
Martino Corbelli, SurfControl Marketing Director, takes on the argument "Because of their use - and abuse - of corporate networks, computer users are often seen as the main contributors to Internet security problems. However, the reality of this situation is precisely the opposite. It is employers that are simply not doing enough to protect their; assets, brand image, legal liability and their people. This is Russian roulette on a corporate level. Only when employers take responsibility for their systems and infrastructure by delivering continuous protection through technology in line with corporate policy and user education, will workers be considered as an additional layer of security, rather than a layer of threat. Right now, most IT departments regard users as the culprits responsible for bringing networks to their knees. Until there is a significant attitude change in the boardroom there is only one place to apportion blame and that is at the office door of the complacent managers and directors that allow their own workers to get away with bringing spyware, malicious code and any other inappropriate content into their business environment."
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