Information Security Forum Launches Threat Horizon 2015

Feb. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- The biggest risk to organizations is from known threats, this according to Threat Horizon 2015, the latest in a series of Threat Horizon reports from the Information Security Forum (http://www.securityforum.org) (ISF), a global, independent information security body considered the world's leading authority on cyber security and information risk management. According to the ISF, understanding known threats is fundamental to enterprise risk management and these threats need to be evaluated in the context of the organization to determine risk.

“Threats such as hacktivism and malware have been around for some time, but it doesn’t mean that they are less dangerous and that we can relax – quite the opposite. Older threats, because they’ve matured, are more dangerous and pose more risk,” said Steve Durbin, Global Vice President, ISF.  “Known threats remain dangerous and will pose greater risk to our organizations moving forward as their sophistication multiplies and they become even more effective at compromising our information security.”

Threat Horizon 2015 is part of the annual series of ISF Threat Horizon reports that provide a practical way for ISF Members to take a forward-looking view of the increasing threats in today’s always-on, interconnected world. This in turn enables a better prepared, strategic approach to managing and mitigating risk. While many of the threats addressed in this year’s report have been around for some time, the ISF believes that this should not be reassuring. Whether the threats we face are old or new is less important than the risk they pose to organizations of all sizes.

“Research for this year’s report found a number of familiar offenders such as organized cybercrime, social engineering, mobile devices, social networking, cloud computing and malicious software,” continued Durbin. “What’s new this year is the increasing sophistication of these known threats as they mature. While some threats diminish with time, others have become even more dangerous.”

Threat Horizon 2015 focuses on the following themes:

·         Cyber risk is challenging to understand and address, from CEOs that simply don’t get it to organizations struggling to find the right people

·         Reputation is a new target for cyber-attacks, from insider activists who leak information, and hacktivist collectives who vote on who they dislike this week

·         Criminals value your information, they’re highly motivated to obtain it, or to use what leaks out of your organization

·         The changing pace of technology doesn’t help; bring your own cloud (BYOC) and bring your own device (BYOD) also bring their own risks

·         The role of governments must not be misunderstood: while they have a key role to play, they won’t lead cyber security efforts – they expect organizations to manage risks in cyberspace and prevent information and systems from being compromised

The Threat Horizon series of reports are aimed at senior business executives, up to and including board level, to help them understand the cyber threats that could have an impact on their organizations. The reports can also be used by information security professionals to explain threats to business audiences and to engage with them.

Threat Horizon 2015 is available now for purchase from the ISF Store on ISF’s website www.securityforum.org.  For more information, please contact Steve Durbin at steve.durbin@securityforum.org.