Threat #1 Malicious Insiders (Rising Threat): Employees with malicious intent have always been the biggest threat to their organizations. 

 

Threat #2 Malware (Steady Threat): Malicious software can include viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, etc. but most importantly websites that host malware, which has become the most prolific distribution method.

 

Threat #3 Exploited Vulnerabilities (Weakening Threat): Hackers find a weakness in a commonly used system or software product and exploit it for their gain.

 

Threat #4 Social Engineering (Rising Threat): With hacking you are compromising a computer, but with social engineering you compromise a human by tricking him/her into supplying personal information and passwords. Any method of communication will be used to perpetrate this fraud including telephones, mobile phones, text messaging, instant messaging, impersonation of support/vendor staff and social networking sites.

 

Threat #5 Careless Employees (Rising Threat): Mistakes made by careless or untrained employees can lead to a significant security compromise. A poor economic climate puts strains on employees causing them to cut corners or important duties. It can also lead to less formal employee training.

 

Threat #6 Reduced Budgets (Rising Threat): A weak economy leads companies to tighten their budgets, which results in less headcount and less money for upgrades and new systems.

 

Threat #7 Remote Workers & Road Warriors (Steady Threat): Telecommuting and mobile workers are on the upswing.

 

Threat #8 Unstable 3rd Party Providers (Rising Threat): While there is an increase in IT security expenses required to keep up with the growing threatscape and regulatory environment, there is a decrease in revenues in the market. This may lead many providers to go out of business or cut corners that could lead to a security compromise.

 

Threat #9 Downloaded Software Including Open Source and P2P files (Steady Threat): IT administrators may download and install open source software or freeware in an attempt to save money, which can lead to a huge waste of time in software configuration in and fine tuning or a data breach.

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