Network ‘blind spots’ pose huge security threats

The majority of Global 2000 industries have places within their networks that are not properly observed, and these "blind spots" can lead to expensive violations because of unknown applications, traffic, devices and users operating insecurely on a corporate network, in accordance to a latest report from Frost & Sullivan.

The research, sponsored by security provider ForeScout Technologies, discovered that 72% of the 400 IT and security experts surveyed worldwide reported that they experienced 5 or more network-based security tragedies in the past twelve months.

When inquired where network blind spots exist, 44% of respondents stated that firewalls were the biggest problem; 40% cited vulnerability assessment; and 40% said advanced threat detection.

Network intrusion prevention, security data and event management (SIEM), enterprise mobility management; and antivirus, patch and configuration management were highlighted by the respondents as well.

"We have confirmed what most persons already hope—that no company is really secure without its security technologies working together,” Chris Kissel, industry analyst, Network Security Research at Frost and Sullivan, claimed.

“A siloed security access can make network blind spots that have expensive, long-term effects on business continuity and brand reputation," Kissel stated. "Without full network visibility, these attack surfaces will merely increase, given the fast-growing number of BYOD [bring your own device] and IoT [Internet of Things] devices being linked to corporate networks."

Managed devices experienced the most security tragedies, instead of increased investment in managed security technologies. Managed end-user computers yielded the greatest network-based security tragedies, with approximately one-third of companies in the U.S., 19% in the U.K. and 50% in Germany reporting 5 or more.

Managed servers also served as gateways for attack in 27% of industries in the U.S., 19% in the U.K. and 36% in Germany. The survey recommended that this is leading to low consumer confidence in security agents being deployed.