Users pay the price for poor security

Seven software security vulnerabilities were identified every day in 2002, costing users millions of pounds and damaging trust and confidence in the IT industry.

Figures from security vendor Symantec show that 2,524 vulnerabilities were identified last year in over 2,000 products.

Business leaders and government ministers are backing Computing's Question of Trust campaign by calling for action to improve the quality of software.

'An important shift is taking place in the way information and communication technologies are being used,' ecommerce minister Stephen Timms told Computing.

'It is vital today that security is planned in from the first steps in system design, and not left until the end of a project. This is key to building trust in IT,' he said.

Some experts estimate that the cost of crashes for Windows operating systems runs at nearly £1.1bn a year worldwide. Figures from the US estimate that the average company spends between £62,000 and £620,000 a year on computer downtime.

Blue chip user group The Corporate IT Forum (Tif) wants to see major change in the industry.

'There is increasing irritation with the cowboy outfit behaviour of many companies,' said Jonathan Mitchell, chairman of Tif and director of business process and chief information officer at Rolls Royce.

Suppliers to the public sector also need to improve.

'Unfortunately, this is not a regulated industry so suppliers can make unsubstantiated claims about product performance, and where the client is less than really competent they believe what they are told and are disappointed when they implement products that don't deliver,' said Peter Gershon, chief executive of the Office of Government Commerce.

Additional reporting by Sarah Arnott