Viruses, worms cause biggest IT security headaches, poll says

Computer viruses and worms pose the biggest security risk to organizations, according to information technology professionals responding to a recent Web poll sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association.

Nearly four in 10 survey respondents, or 38.7 percent, said viruses and worms are the biggest security issues facing their organizations. According to a CompTIA news release, more than 60,000 types of computer viruses have been defined since the term was first coined in the early 1980s. The effect of a virus may be a simple prank that pops up a message on screen, or it may destroy programs and data. Similarly, worms are destructive programs that replicate throughout disk and memory, using up a computer's resources and eventually putting the system down.

Ranking second on the list of most challenging IT security issues was "social engineering;" which was identified by 13.6 percent of Web poll respondents as the most serious security issue facing their organizations. Typically delivered through unsolicited e-mails with misleading subject lines, these viruses and worms are unleashed when an unsuspecting recipient opens the message or attachment.

A 2003 CompTIA study indicated that human error not technical malfunction was the most significant cause of IT security breaches in the public and private sectors.

"IT security professionals are challenged more than ever," said John Venator, president and CEO of CompTIA. "They must focus not just on technology, but on the human element as well. That is why it is absolutely essential for every organization to have both a well-designed, well-managed and well-secured IT infrastructure; and the policies and practices in place that keep their employees alert to and aware of security risks."