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 OAKBROOK TERRACE: Organizations are doing little to address the most serious threat to their information security and technology infrastructure, according to new research released today by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

Human error was responsible for nearly 60 percent of information security breaches experienced by organizations over the last year, according to the fourth annual CompTIA study on information security and the workforce. That figure is significantly higher than one year ago, when 47 percent of security breaches were blamed on human error alone.

Despite the prominent role that human behavior plays in information security breaches, just 29 percent of the 574 organizations that participated in the survey said that security training is a requirement at their company. Only 36 percent of organizations offer end-user security awareness training.

"The primary cause of security breaches - human error - is not being adequately addressed," said Brian McCarthy, chief operating officer, CompTIA. "The person behind the PC continues to be the primary area where weaknesses are exposed."

The CompTIA study found that antivirus software is nearly universal (96 percent penetration); and the vast majority of organizations utilize firewalls and proxy servers (91 percent). Disaster recovery plans, intrusion detection systems and written information security policies are also popular measures.

"As we get better from a technology standpoint, many organizations seem to believe that technology solutions alone are sufficient to turn back all attacks, and a level of complacency may be setting in," McCarthy said. “ The fact remains that no technology on its own can be completely successful without an equally strong commitment to information security awareness and training throughout every level of the organization," he added.

A lack of user awareness, browser-based attacks and remote access were the next most frequently mentioned security problem areas. The most severe security breaches were reported by large organizations (7,000 or more employees) and educational institutions.

Some organizations reported a financial impact above $50,000 for security breaches, showing that while a "garden variety" breach may be little more than an inconvenience, the potential for serious harm is always present.