Hello helpdesk, can I hack you?

NEWS Helpdesks and technical support workers pose a serious threat to internal corporate security. Speaking at the 'Turning IT On' security event in London held by London First , Richard Hollis, managing director of security consultancy Orthus, claimed nearly 70 per cent of all internal breaches can be traced back to the support desk. He said: "These guys have access to your network 24 hours a day, they know every single one of the company's passwords. They are highly skilled technically, but often unmotivated because of lack of career prospects. "They might even feel unrewarded and bored, all of which makes them commit attacks." Hollis added that technical support workers often have emotional problems. He said: "They might want to do damage because of emotional issues with their bosses or might have a desire to embarrass their target and show off their techie skills as a revenge." Most IT professionals are generally aware of the fact that internal security breaches cause more damage than external hacks, but few companies know how to protect against them. Hollis gave strict guidelines to IT managers on how to protect the corporate network from internal breaches. He told silicon.com: "Identify potential hackers and protect the targets, report any suspicious behaviour to management immediately and develop strong internal policies."