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[ISN] Failing security threatens FTSE100 firms

From: InfoSec News (isnc4i.org)
Date: Fri Sep 05 2003 - 02:06:11 CDT

http://silicon.com/news/500013/1/5876.html

Will Sturgeon
4 September 2003

Shareholders in some of the UK's most prestigious companies may be
horrified to hear that only 16 per cent of FTSE100 firms employ a
properly qualified, dedicated security specialist to safeguard their
systems from cyber attack.

These findings have caused one IT training organisation to hit out at
what it calls "boardroom apathy" regarding the issue of security, with
too many CEOs adopting an 'it couldn't happen to us' attitude.

Despite a recent spate of high-profile virus attacks, and the constant
threat posed by hackers, companies still appear to be leaving a lot to
chance - a stance which Robert Chapman, co-founder of The Training
Camp, who conducted the survey, says displays a worrying level of
"ignorance".

Chapman told silicon.com: "It's really worrying and it should
certainly be worrying for these companies and those who are investing
in them. You would never hear about a large company which doesn't have
a designated legal specialist or accountant, but security is something
which companies don't seem to take as seriously as other issues."

Chapman also expressed concern about the limited take-up of the 'gold
standard' security qualification - the Certified Information Systems
Security Professional, or CISSP - within FTSE100 companies.

"I don't know if this is just a case of UK plc lagging behind again,
but in the US the position of chief security officer is now far more
common than in the UK and CISSP qualifications are also more common."

"It is stunning that a large number of FTSE100 companies don’t employ
a dedicated professional with the right background and top-level
accredited certification," he added.

Chapman warned that it will probably take a "fall guy" - such as a big
bank or insurance company - to be hit by a major breach before UK
companies "sit up and take notice".

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