Cloud and mobile devices weakest links in enterprise security: Check Point study

Cloud and mobile devices are the weakest links in enterprise networks, according to a study by cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.

The report is based on 2018 data from the company’s ThreatCloud intelligence network, as well as inputs from a survey of IT professionals and top-level executives.

The study revealed that 18% of organisations surveyed globally had a cloud security lapse in 2018, with the most common incidents being data breaches, hijacked accounts and malware infestations.

The survey of IT (information technology) professionals stated that misconfiguration of cloud platforms led to loss of data, which was perceived as the biggest threat by 62% of the respondents.

Unauthorised access to cloud resources was counted as a problem by 55% of the respondents, while 50% and 47%, respectively, saw insecure APIs (application program interfaces) and hijacking accounts as problems.

However, 30% of IT professionals surveyed considered security as the main responsibility of the cloud service provider and not of the client using the services. Many experts recommend that cloud security’s responsibility should be shared by the cloud provider and the customer.

While the IT professionals stated that the responsibility lies solely with the cloud providers, only 59% of the respondents used mobile threat defence software on their smartphones. The report also stressed that many organisations haven’t deployed any mobile solutions to counter malware, malicious apps and system vulnerabilities.  

Additionally, only nine per cent of IT professionals who had access to sensitive company data considered mobile threats as a significant risk factor. The report stressed on how malware can move from unprotected mobile devices to the organisations’ cloud or on-premise networks, thus causing a huge security issue.

“The third instalment of our 2019 Security Report shows just how vulnerable organisations are to attacks targeting their cloud and mobile estates, because there is a lack of awareness of the threats they face and how to mitigate them,” said Zohar Alon, head of cloud product line, Check Point Software Technologies. Alon also stressed that close to 20% of organisations surveyed experienced a cloud incident in the past year.