By Pia Heikkila, 8 May 2002 17:10
NEWS EDS is banning all its staff from using instant messaging (IM) software in its offices. The company cited security concerns as the main reason for the ban. All popular IM software is on the ban list, such as AOL, MS Messenger and Yahoo, and the ban becomes effective tomorrow, according to The Register. EDS refused to explain why. Many UK companies adopt IM because it is easy to use and allows quick communication across large organisations. However, experts say the security concerns of IM are well known and some companies might choose not to use such software until the technology is made more secure. IM software can hide viruses, Trojans and can even offer hackers a route into the network. Neil Barrett, CTO of security consultancy International Risk Management, said EDS is right in banning the tool. He told silicon.com: "The risk of virus infection through the messenger link is actually quite high because the files that can be copied from messenger links are not scanned for infections. The IM link presents a potential control access point for a back connection from an infected desktop to an outside agency, since the firewall has been configured to allow that type of back connection. "For this reason in particular, I would have a great deal of sympathy with EDS's view that Messenger has no part of their corporate information architecture, and would agree that it represents a potential security vulnerability within otherwise well-protected environments," he added.
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