What Info Security Pros Think About Fake News
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What Info Security Pros Think About Fake News
Most cyber-security experts believe fake news influenced the U.S. elections, but they view education and social media filters as ways to prevent a recurrence. -
Impact of Fake News
82% of the security experts polled believe fake news has influenced the U.S. political landscape. Only 5% disagreed, and 13% were unsure. -
Security Pros Aren't Immune
48% of the survey participants said fake news hasn't swayed their opinions, but 30% said it has. -
Steps to Fight Fake News
Social media sites should filter it out: 46%. Security teams must expose perpetrators and help blacklist sites: 29%. The government needs to shut down fake news websites: 21%. -
Fake News Can't Be Stopped
73% of those surveyed said nothing can prevent the creation and distribution of fake news, but they recommend education efforts to minimize its impact. -
A Cyber-Attack Is Imminent
60% of the security pros surveyed believe a cyber-attack on critical U.S. infrastructure will occur in the next two years. -
Most Likely Targets
Electricity generation systems, such as power grids: 46%. Telecommunication systems, such as cell towers: 30%. Gas and oil production facilities: 11%. Water supply systems, such as dams: 9%. Public transportation systems, such as trains and subways: 4%. -
What's Driving the Attacks?
Inadequate security architecture drives attacks against the U.S.: 63%. The U.S. has the most to lose, which makes it an attractive target: 46%. Inadequate policy, regulation and law enforcement: 41%. Cyber-war is the current state of warfare: 39%. -
Security Is Shared Duty
80% of respondents believe that the security team should keep the enterprise secure, but 59% hold the board and executive team ultimately responsible, and 45% said users are accountable for their own actions.
Fake news sources are manipulating U.S. politics, and it's virtually impossible to stanch the flow of bogus reports. That's the opinion of most cyber-security experts and industry thought leaders who participated in a survey at the Black Hat 2017 security conference. In the study, conducted by DomainTools, a significant minority of security professionals admitted to being influenced by fake news reports. But the problem of fake news is a thorny one to tackle. Nearly three out of four respondents believe nothing can prevent the creation and distribution of fake news. However, they believe social media sites, security teams and the government can take steps to filter out fake news and shut down the websites responsible. "InfoSec folks tend to have traits of healthy skepticism and pragmatism, and those are reflected here," said Tim Helming, director of product management for DomainTools. "They recognize that a lot of news generated today is of dubious origin, but see education, filters and blacklists as ways to mitigate that." In addition, the survey addressed the likelihood of cyber-attacks. More than half the experts polled expect an attack on the U.S. infrastructure within the next two years, with likely targets including the power grid and telecommunications network, among others. The job of defending the enterprise is a joint responsibility of the security and executive teams, as well as employees, according to many respondents. The survey included C-level executives, directors, managers, researchers and analysts, who are equally distributed between small and large companies.