Many process-intensive industrial sectors are running the risk of being caught napping, predicts Aleph Tav Technologies, the Chennai-based Information Security service provider. A threat awareness study that the security consultancy recently conducted among a number of companies in critical industries has revealed a rather disturbing trend. Given the apparent rise in cyber-attacks targeting enterprises, small and large, anyone in the outside world would expect an appropriate surge in attention to threat prevention among core industries. The ground reality, however, is quite contrary to this common perception.A large number of dynamic businesses in high-risk sectors have shown disregard and oblivion towards pressing issues such as data privacy, mission-critical asset security and strategic risk management. For instance, many players in the chemical manufacturing industry consider their automation systems to be immune from cyber-attacks. Not knowing its weak links puts a business in a precarious position, says Joseph Martin, CEO of Aleph Tav Technologies.
“We have been working to break myths and emphasizing the benefits of a proactive stance as opposed to illusions of safety. Industrial Control Systems are inherently prone to hundreds of vulnerabilities that are specifically taken advantage of by targeted cyber-attacks. Our consultants have been working to assist and advise these IT teams in connecting the dots when it comes to legacy system protection and corporate network hacks. We have recorded a slow but steady pace of acceptance and revelation among business owners, but this is just the beginning.”
Among the sectors interviewed, the Finance, Banking and Insurance Industry showed much promise as a threat-aware segment. One characterized by stringent state-laws and compliance norms for data protection, this sector has had its share of deceptive, disguised attacks in the past couple of years. Small companies are opening themselves up to procedural and systemic security implementation, an inspiring trend.
The ugly truth is that most of the other industries have no documented protection mechanism in place and a few of them have decided to stay this way for the near future. We observe a hesitant attitude in moving beyond traditional products and solutions, thanks to a misguided belief that the issues did not necessitate investment in modern, integrated security systems. We have spoken to IT heads who believe that an anti-virus tool and a firewall are more than enough. Sad! These companies are either ignorant or essentially compromising security in favor of cost savings.
Aleph Tav Technologies has always believed in the importance of getting there before attackers do. This is the philosophy with which the company has spear-headed the threat awareness movement for technology startups.
Sensing the general apprehension and reluctance that most companies harbor in engaging a managed security consultants, the company strives to function on the lines of an approachable knowledge sharing medium, helping customers realize and fulfil their responsibilities in securing their IT networks, thus ensuring privacy and protection for their client data.