Survival of the fittest, a term that is most prevalent in the animal kingdom..The ability to be aware of your surroundings and alert to any danger that might be lurking around the next corner and responding to those signals in time is the one factor that can make the difference between survival and extinction. This ability is also holds true for organizations.
“Security Awareness is the ability to “think and act” with security in mind”.
In the current FBI/CSI survey1, 90% of the respondents detected computer security breaches within the last twelve months. Of them 44% (223 respondents) were willing and/or able to quantify their financial losses. These 223 respondents:
• Reported $455,848,000 in financial losses
• 85% of respondents detected computer viruses
• 78% of respondents detected employee abuse of internet access privileges - (for example, downloading pornography or pirated software, inappropriate use of e-mail systems, etc.)
One of the most startling facts of the above items is the second one which reports financial losses of $455 Million (USD). What makes that data even more disturbing is that only 223 respondents generated that number. Imagine the financial losses accrued worldwide if everyone were to put a dollar amount on their security.
In order for an organization to institute the right security safeguards, proper security controls need to be prevalent as well. Security controls are the technology and techniques employed by IT organizations and its security staff to protect the organization from security threats and risks. However, the number one issue in an organization's security is the educating its employees.
We are responsible for our own actions when using computers and a network. We can increase the security by being aware whilst using these resources. A slight change in our behavior can have significant overall benefits in the security of our network. When users are Security Aware, they would be aware of what processes need to be followed if the computer is infected with a virus or when they come across suspicious behavior.
References And Credits:
1 - http://www.gocsi.com - Computer Security Institute (CSI)
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