Security risks increase as companies cut budgets

The recession may be bad news for most of us, but it's great for the ever-present hacker. A new study by Gartner Inc. says companies are taking more risks and cutting back on their security software to save money, and that means they are becoming more vulnerable to hack attacks.

Gartner predicts that global security software sales will rise just 13 percent in 2009 to $14.4 billion, slowing from a 23 percent increase in 2008. Businesses need to regularly upgrade their computer security systems, experts say, because criminals are constantly improving their own technology, finding new vulnerabilities and ways to avoid detection.

Waiting for the recession to be over before investing in expanding security infrastructure is "totally crazy," said security researcher Markus Jakobsson, co-author of the book "Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses." "That's like a city closing its police department because there is a recession," he said.

The dismal surge in unemployment--533,000 jobs in November--is likely to increase the ranks of hackers looking to make an easy buck. Hackers increased dramatically during the 2001/2002 recession, and it was hardly as sophisticated a craft as it has become today.

For more on growing security threats:
-  check out this InformationWeek.com article

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