More than 60 per cent of organisations in South Africa are infected by dangerous bots, according to a report by Check Point Software Technologies.
A bot, as described by security firm Symantec, is a malware which gives access to an attacker over an infected computer.
Check Point’s 2013 security report indicates more than half of South African organisations are infected at least once a day with new bots.
The Israel-based hardware and software products for IT security company based its findings on an analysis of almost 900 companies, 35 of which were from South Africa.
Furthermore, the report revealed 61 per cent of organisations in South Africa make use of a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application.
The report was compiled as part of a mandate for insight into network security for organisations for recommendations on how to better protect themselves against malware.
“The findings from the report confirm that data security and threat prevention need to be included among the top security priorities for business leaders in South Africa today,” said Doros Hadjizenonos, sales manager for Check Point in South Africa.
“A key recommendation from these findings is adopting a security vision which redefines security as a three dimensional business process that combines policies, people and enforcement for stronger protection across all layers of security – including network, data and endpoints,” said Hadjizenonos.
The report also indicated more than half of the organisations surveyed suffered at least one potential data loss incident.
“Our research uncovered many alarming vulnerabilities and security threats on networks that most organisations were not aware of. With clearer visibility, IT professionals can now better define a security blueprint to protect their organisations from the constant stream of evolving security threats,” said Bar-Lev, president of Check Point.
