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Last May 2011, we conducted an analysis of Canada’s cyber security risk profile, which led to the discovery of a disturbing trend. Canada had become the newest breeding ground of cybercriminal activity.

In the hopes that things would get better, we conducted an exact comparison of the same cybersecurity stats one year later. And we were even more disturbed to see that in Q1 2012, hackers are still taking advantage of Canada’s “squeaky clean” cyber reputation and remotely controlling Canadian servers to carry out their criminal attacks.

Across the board, we’re seeing all types of malicious content coming out of the Great White North. For example...

With only a few days remaining until SC Congress Canada 2012, I've been thinking again about what keeps IT security professionals up at night. Every time I ask my customers, I get a common response: mobility. The Bring Your Own Device phenomenon is weighing heavily on the minds of Canadian’s IT security elite. And they have a good reason to be concerned.

By 2014, 1.1 billion smartphones will be in use. Today, the average mobile worker has three devices:  smartphone, tablet, and laptop. Companies are allowing these devices to connect to their networks, despite their better judgment and the security risks. So, what’s the REAL mobile threat? Why is this a big deal?

New technology drives productivity, but it also increases risk.

Sensitive data on mobile devices travels – physically and electronically – from the office to home and other off-site locations. In addition, we expect to see targeted mobile-device attacks from malware, spyware, malicious downloads/mobile apps, phishing, and spam. That’s why some security experts see smartphones and other mobile devices as one of the most serious new threat vectors to an organization.

TORONTO—March 19, 2012— A new “Global Study on Mobility Risks” reveals that corporate mobile devices and the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) phenomenon are rapidly circumventing enterprise security and policies in Canada. Seventy-one percent of more than 400 respondents in Canada agree that the use of mobile devices in the workplace is important to achieving business objectives. But 72 percent also believe that these devices put their organizations at risk—and only half the organizations surveyed have the necessary security controls to address the risk...

“We’ve seen the Android platform become the preferred platforms of attack, because it’s open source, it has more malware – 252 versions at last count,” Fiaaz Walji, Canadian country manager for Websense said. “Apple iOS is a little bit safer, partially because of the vetting process Apple does on its end. Regardless of platform, companies have to secure these devices. Restricting them is not an option. ”

http://infoexecutive.itincanada.ca/index.php?id=16426&cid=394