A Fortinet survey finding has revealed that wireless networks are the weakest security link in enterprise IT infrastructure. The online survey conducted amongst 1,490 Information Technology Decision Makers (ITDMs) from around the globe (including India) shows insufficient wireless security is a concern for all. Respondents positioned wireless as significantly more vulnerable than core networking infrastructure. The confidence levels in wireless security, however, varied with China topping the board with 71 per cent “very concerned,” followed by India at 61 per cent compared to 13 per cent in Japan.
Survey researchers said this was hardly surprising given that more than a third of the enterprise wireless networks put in place for internal employees did not have the basic security function of authentication in place. Nearly half of the ITDMs considered loss of sensitive corporate/customer data the biggest risk in operating in an unsecured wireless environment. Industrial espionage was cited as the next highest risk followed by non-compliance of industry regulations and service interruptions.
Commenting on the findings, Rajesh Maurya, Country Manager (India and SAARC), Fortinet, said: “Despite the growth in mobility strategies, wireless security has simply not been a priority for enterprises till date. As advanced persistent attacks increasingly target multiple entry points and the cloud becomes more prevalent, it is not an issue organisations should risk any longer.”
