Wireless network is the weakest security link in enterprise IT infrastructure: Fortinet
IT decision makers say wireless networks are most exposed from a security standpoint, according to cyber security company, Fortinet. In its recent global survey of 1490 CIOs and IT decision makers, it found that 92 per cent of respondents indicated insufficient wireless security is a concern.
The study also showed IT decision makers found wireless networks to be the most vulnerable element of the IT infrastructure – with 49 per cent of respondents ranking wireless networks as most exposed from a security standpoint, in contrast to just 29 per cent for the core network.
Databases (22 per cent), applications (15 per cent) and storage (seven per cent) infrastructures were considered amongst the least susceptible from a security standpoint.
In Australia, 38 per cent of IT decision makers polled admitted to not having the most basic wireless security measure of authentication in place. In addition, a significant 25 per cent and 42 per cent of enterprises overlook firewall and anti-virus security functions respectively when it comes to wireless strategies.
Fortinet marketing products vice-president, John Maddison, said these results are hardly surprising given that more than one-third of the enterprise wireless networks put in place for internal employees do not have the basic security function of authentication in place.
“Despite the growth in mobility strategies, wireless security has simply not been a priority for enterprises to date. As advanced persistent attacks increasingly target multiple entry points, and the cloud becomes more prevelant, it’s not an oversight organisations should risk any longer,” he said.
Other survey highlights include:
- 39 per cent of IT decisions makers consider loss of sensitive corporate and/or customer data the biggest risk of operating an unsecured wireless environment.
- 69 per cent said they have adopted a Cloud approach to management of their wireless infrastructure and 86 per cent trust the Cloud for future wireless deployment.
- Of the Cloud-ready respondents, 64 per cent would want to use a private Cloud infrastructure for wireless management and 36 per cent would outsource to a third party managed services provider.
- 45 per cent of respondents said they provide guest access on their corporate wireless networks, but 24 per cent of these organisations do so without any controls whatsoever.
“As IT strives to balance the need for strong network security with ubiquitous connectivity, wireless must be considered as part of a holistic security strategy to ensure broad and consistent protection for users and devices over wired and wireless access,” Maddison added.
