If the news is any indication, IT security (or the lack thereof) is a growing concern among companies of all sizes. In the wake of reports that Chinese hackers are engaging in commercial cyber-espionage, some companies are calling for a go-ahead to hack right back when they fall victim to such security threats. Breaches by hackers from Syria, Iran, and other countries around the world signal the need for a new approach to guarding IT infrastructure.

But even beyond hackers, there are a number of threats to corporate IT systems that can disrupt business and gouge bottom lines. Let’s look at some of the major threats and how companies of all sizes can mount a defense to keep their systems secure.

Top four IT security threats

From outsiders to your own employees, here are definitions for four of the most common vulnerabilities in corporate networks:

• Hackers. One of the oldest and most commonly understood threats, hackers work as individuals or groups to leverage weaknesses in an organization’s IT infrastructure to gain access to its systems. Through the years this access has dramatically evolved from young pranksters seeking little more than bragging rights to today’s organized groups of cyber criminals stealing financial and proprietary information for financial or political gain. Today’s hackers use both manual and automated processes to break into an organization’s IT infrastructure.
• Malware. Malware refers to any type of malicious software used to infiltrate private computers or networks in order to gain access to sensitive data. Malware is also used to slow down system performance by utilizing memory, CPU, and other system resources. Wikipedia offers a comprehensive list of the different types of malware, including computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, keyloggers, dialers, spyware, adware, malicious browser plug-ins, and rogue security software. Continue Reading…