Business security specialist Bromium has released the results of a survey of over 300 IT security professionals looking at endpoint threats.
It finds that the majority believe end users to be the biggest security headache, that existing security solutions are unable to stop endpoint infections, and that antivirus can’t stop advanced, targeted attacks.
Previous research has found that most attacks are aimed at user devices so it’s understandable that 72 percent of information security professionals believe users are their biggest security problem. User devices can be compromised by drive-by downloads, system vulnerabilities and email attachments, yet it can be time-consuming and expensive for information security teams to fix these problems.
More than 84 percent believe that their current security doesn't stop all endpoint infections and a similar percentage believe that their existing antivirus solution doesn’t stop targeted attacks like spear phishing.
"The reality today is that existing endpoint protection, such as AV, is ineffective because it is based on an old-fashioned model of detecting and fixing attacks after they occur," says Rahul Kashyap, chief security architect at Bromium. "Sophisticated malware can easily evade detection to compromise endpoints, enabling cyber criminals to launch additional attacks that penetrate deeper into sensitive systems. Security professionals should explore a new paradigm of isolation-based protection to prevent these attacks".
Other findings from the survey are that two-thirds (65 percent) of information security professionals are looking for endpoint protection that is able to stop both known and unknown threats. Also 75 percent said they would sleep better at night knowing a user could click on anything at any time without risk of infection.
"Despite the challenge in protecting end users, it is encouraging so many security professionals are aware of the shortcomings of existing technology," adds Kashyap. "The recognition that the status quo is broken is the first step toward changing it for the better".
You can read more details of the report on the Bromium blog.
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