Passwords Are Failing IT Security

New Lieberman Software Poll Reveals Overwhelming Negative Attitude Toward Effectiveness of Passwords

Passwords are a cornerstone method for securing access to data. However, a new survey published by cyber security vendor Lieberman Software Corporation revealed that over three-quarters (77%) of IT professionals believe passwords are failing IT security. The study, carried out at RSA Conference 2016, looked at the attitudes of nearly 200 cyber security professionals. It also found that 53% of those surveyed thought that modern hacking tools could easily break passwords within their organizations.

“These results really tap into the mindset of the IT security industry,” said Philip Lieberman, President and CEO of Lieberman Software. “If the vast majority of respondents think passwords are failing, then it’s time to rethink how we’re using them. Attackers use automated methods to brute force credentials and gain privileged access to enterprise networks – often in a matter of minutes. Once they’re inside, they can nest there anonymously, biding their time until it’s opportune to strike. To counter this threat, organizations should take the same automated approach and apply it to their privileged credentials. Changing credentials continuously in a non-disruptive way would go a long way toward keeping the bad guys from gaining unrestricted access on the network.”

The study also showed that 45% of respondents think that even with all the IT security technology deployed in their organizations, they’re still unable to defend against cyber attacks.

“I’m not surprised that almost half of IT security professionals aren’t prepared to defend against modern cyber attacks,” Lieberman continued. “Today’s advanced threats can defeat the conventional perimeter security tools that organizations rely upon. Once the attacker gets past the perimeter, all they need to do is compromise just one privileged credential to move from system to system on the network, extracting sensitive data along the way. This comes back to the notion that passwords are failing IT security. If organizations cannot secure the credentials hackers need to gain privileged access, the massive data breaches we keep reading about in the news are only going to increase.”

For more information on the survey see http://go.liebsoft.com/rsa-conference-2016-survey.

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