Study: Manufacturers Ill-Prepared For Security Threats

ByTonya Vinas A new KPMG LLP study shows manufacturing companies in the United States and Europe are unprepared in the area of information security. KPMG, a New York-based consultancy, interviewed 500 executives from U.S. - and Europe-based multinational companies on their opinions and strategies for information security. Major findings include:

• 33% of respondents considered hackers their greatest threat, while 35% said employees were most threatening. Studies cited by KPMG show that 80% of information security breaches involve outsiders.
• 59% of respondents view information security as a technology problem that can be handled with a technology solution, while 39% said they see information security as a strategic issue that requires an integrated organizational solution. "Until more executives regard information security as a strategic business issue, organizations will remain vulnerable," says Stuart Campbell, national partner-in-charge of KPMG's Risk and Advisory Services Practice.
• 41% of respondents said their firms are susceptible to a serious breach in information security; 25% believe threats have increased over the last two years, and nearly a third believe that threats will increase over the next two years.