IT security breaches misunderstood, study warns

14:50 21st October 2008

A large number of firms based in the UK are not aware how important breaches of IT security are, a new study has indicated.

According to research conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), less than 60 per cent of the firms questioned consider business continuity or disaster recovery as the most important factor behind their security spending.

It was also found that fewer than half of respondents said that their company checks that employees are complying with security procedures.

However, 73 per cent of those questioned said that they think personnel comply with internal security regulations.

Commenting on the findings, PcW said: "There are clear signs that security and privacy issues endure as critical priorities for executive teams across global sectors - especially, for example, given the range, momentum and volatility of trends reshaping business markets worldwide."

The findings were taken from the Global State of Information Security Study, an annual survey conducted by PwC with CIO Magazine.