Hacking contest expose poor security training in top global organizations
Participants in the recent DEF CON hacking contest proved how easy it was to break into the security of some of the largest companies and organizations in the world.
A contest held by the world’s largest hacking convention held over the weekend in Las Vegas exposed lack of security training of IT professionals working in the top global organizations as the primary reason why they are easily penetrated by cyber criminals.
In a statement issued by representatives of DEF CON—the organizers of the said hacking convention—computer hackers that participated in the contest, which was held during the weekend, found it very easy to trick employees working in the IT departments of large US companies like Sony Corp. and international organizations like the International Monetary Fund to divulge sensitive information which can be used by cyber criminals to launch cyber attacks.
DEF CON said event was meant to expose security vulnerabilities to companies and organizations in the hope that this would amount the pressure to fix them. Among those that were tested and found to be susceptible to cyber attacks include Oracle Corp (which was shown to have had employees giving out the most information), AT&T Inc, ConAgra Food Inc, Delta Air Lines, Symantec, Sysco, United Air Lines, and Verizon Communications.
The ease in acquiring sensitive information from these companies was viewed by the contestants and organizers as something to be extremely concerned about. Chris Hadnagy, one of the organizers of the contest, told reporters that the fact that it was so easy for them to get these pieces of information is a “scary call” that must be addressed.
“She was so willing to comply,” he told reporters, pointing to his ability to get information from one of the companies they tried to hack as part of the contest. “A lot of this could facilitate serious attacks if used by the right people.”
None of the companies whose weak security measures have been exposed were available to get a comment as of this posting time.
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Posted by Sean Kelly
on Aug 8 2011. Filed under Featured, Technology.
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