6/24/2010 4:31:43 PM
Industry buzz - IT Security
Instant Messaging and Security
Instant Messaging (IM) is increasingly popular
as a tool for communicating over the Internet. It is a real-time
addition to, and a replacement for, e-mailing. It allows two-way
instant communication in real-time, and because of this the
majority of its users feel it is a more effective and efficient way
of communicating. But does it pose a threat to the security of a
company's IT infrastructure?
IM consists of clients and servers; the providing vendor could
be AOL, ICQ, Yahoo or MSN (different protocols dictate the chosen
vendors' interoperability with other IMs). IM allows not only the
transfer of text, but also documents and files - this is
potentially a backdoor for Trojan Horses. Hackers can use IM to
gain backdoor access to PCs without opening a port; this
circumnavigates desktop and perimeter firewalls. A hacker won't
need to scan unknown IP-addresses but simply trawl through a book
full of trusted 'buddy lists'. The implication of this is that all
the files on a PC can be shared using the IM client, which in turn
could lead to the spread of files that are infected with a virus or
other malware.
The threat from IM worms is increasing, and vendors are reacting
to the threat from Trojan Horses, Denial of Service attacks and
Information Disclosure. There are vendors out there who have
reacted, but the threat remains that the IM network as a whole is
at risk.
IM is unlikely to exceed email as the primary cause of
infection, but companies should not disregard the threat.
Want to subscribe to "Cahoot!", our quarterly client newsletter,
or our quarterly candidate newsletter?
Email marketing@arm.co.uk for more
information.