A new survey by Gartner identifies viruses and worms as the top threats concerning IT managers.
Asked to rate how critical each of a collection of security threats was to them on a scale of one to ten, IT managers and employees from 133 North American organizations with global operations and revenues exceeding $750 million rated viruses and worms first, with an average score of 7.6, outside hacking or cracking second with an average score of 7.1, and identify theft third with an average score of 7.0. Other threats rated in the top third by respondents included spyware, and denial of service attacks.
The survey also found that half of the survey participants said they increased IT security spending this year and expected to do so again in 2006. Gartner reported that seven of ten said they considered their systems and processes more secure than they were a year ago.
Gartner also reported that more than one-third of the respondents said the need for compliance with regulatory requirements, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, was “the largest factor in determining spending priorities on IT security.”
