Companies Spend On Security Amid Mobile and Social Threats

Mobile devices, hackers, and social networking are the biggest security challenges facing IT departments, according to Symantec's 2011 State of Security Survey. For the second year in a row, the survey found that the perceived risk from cyberattacks is higher than off-line crime, natural disasters and terrorist attacks&#151 although in reality, some key risk metrics declined this year. On behalf of Symantec, Applied Research surveyed 3,300 IT professionals in April and May 2011 at companies ranging in size from five employees to more than 5,000. Most companies said that they had been affected by cybercrime in some way during the past 12 months. "Mobile computing, social media use, and the consumerization of IT are providing new challenges," said Sean Doherty, vice president and CTO of Enterprise Security at Symantec. "Attackers are using more insidious, sophisticated and silent methods to steal data and wreak havoc."