Phishing top security threat to business

The majority of threats (89%) blocked by a security service developed by telecommunications firm Telefonica in collaboration with security firms McAfee and Allot are phishing-related.

Earlier this year, a report by security firm Sophos revealed that phishing attacks aimed at stealing legitimate user credentials had been used to compromise 45% of UK organisations in the past two years.

The first two months of the Telefónica service’s deployment in Spain also show that a new threat is created every six seconds, and that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the preferred target of cyber criminals due to their generally lower level of cyber protection.

According to Telefónica, the Conexión Segura Empresas service is designed to be scalable so that smaller businesses are able to benefit from the same quality of protection as larger firms.

The jointly developed service is installed in the core of the Telefónica network to analyse all the data that enters the networks of subscribers and filter out anything malicious.

The service is also designed to prevent users from landing on websites categorised as risky or inappropriate due to their content to avoid website impersonation, fraud and private data theft due to scams.

Telefónica claims the service also protects company employees’ fixed and mobile devices if the device is lost or stolen and when they are connected outside the corporate network.

“Our partnership with Telefónica and Allot has proven effective in providing protection for businesses, no matter the size,” said Jesús Sánchez-Aguilera, head of consumer and SME in Europe, Middle East and Africa at McAfee.

“We believe that collaboration leads to innovation of the best cyber security solutions. Working together, we provide solutions to help businesses protect what matters, like customer data and intellectual property, regardless of the devices they use or the scale of their business.”

The service, which can be personalised through a management portal, also provides data analytics for the company’s web browsing behavior, enabling security managers to set control policies, said Sánchez-Aguilera.