By Oliver Samson | Correspondent
ABOUT 90 percent of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) today think they are still secure with their current cybersecurity measures, Pandora IT Security Inc. Founder and CEO Isaac Sabas said.
But these safeguards have actually gone outdated, making them vulnerable to attacks, Sabas told the BusinessMirror.
Due to poor understanding, most companies are forced to upgrade their defenses only after an alarming incidence of security breach. And a company may have been already attacked for months without its knowledge, Sabas said in an interview on Thursday.
Citing high-profile cases, attacks could remain unnoticed for months, he explained citing a major US bank learning about the attack only after two months in 2014.
Cybergangs steal companies’ clients personal information, including credit-card data, and sell them in the black market, Sabas said.
“If it gets stolen, those hackers and anybody can use it.” And when that happens, Sabas said the integrity of the company would also be compromised.
Sans citing hard data, Sabas said SMEs are becoming favorite targets of attacks since hackers normally presume their defenses are more penetrable than bigger companies.
“It’s not only products like anti-virus softwares and firewalls that guarantee solutions. Products are useless without a corresponding high-level network oversight. A security product is like a hammer, but the hammer cannot make a house.”
What actually is needed are trained eyes and a 24/7 monitoring system, according to him. “When there’s an alert, there should be an immediate response.” The server and firewall logs should be monitored round the clock, Sabas said.
According to its brochure online, Pandora is a security software-as-a-service company focused on information-technology infrastructure security. It is known for the following systems: security information and event management, vulnerability and patch management and governance, risk management, and compliance.
Image credits: Oliver Samson