The biggest security threat: Employees

• By Stephen Weigand
• Oct 08, 2010

Cyber criminals are not the biggest security threat that agencies face. In fact, government security experts rated hackers only the third most threatening in a survey conducted by PacketMotion at the Black Hat USA 2010 conference.

Instead, nearly three-quarters of the experts cited agency employees as the biggest threat to computer systems, including privileged administrators who have access to sensitive networks and files. The number goes even higher if you add in concerns about contractor employees.

And nearly two-thirds of them said they believed foreign spies could be planted in their organizations to steal information.

What is the biggest threat to the government computing environment?

• 58.5% Employees
• 14.9% Administrators with access to certain networks and files
• 8.5% Outsiders, including contractors
• 12.8% Hackers and cyber criminals
• 5.3% Other

Could a foreign government-backed spy infiltrate your organization to steal information?

• Yes 62%
• No 38%

Which country or continent is the spy most likely to come from?

• China/Asia 61.9%
• Russia/Eastern Europe 13.1%
• Other 25%

What is the most challenging industry regulation you must comply with?

• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard 29.8%
• National Institute of Standards and Technology 21.3%
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act 13.8%
• Basel Committee on Banking Supervision 6.4%
• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act 4.3%
• Other 24.5%

Which of the following is the most difficult to achieve?

• Security 37.6%
• Compliance 21.5%
• Equally challenging 40.9%