Shopping sites vulnerable to Christmas rush

Attacks likely to multiply during yuletide rush, security firm predicts

Many shopping web sites are ignoring threats and could be vulnerable to increasing attacks over the Christmas period, security firm Bee Ware has warned.

The company believes seven out of 10 web sites are vulnerable to cross-site scripting, a potent form of data attack.

Less than five per cent of commercial organisations currently comply with the PCI standard, says Malcolm Skinner, Bee Ware’s international marketing director.

‘Our research has also found that out of 200 local councils surveyed in the UK only 15 are actually aware of their obligations under the new PCI 1.1 regulations, which actually mandate the requirement for secure web applications,' he said.

‘With the move to greater use of web technologies the issue of web application and web services security can not be ignored.'

These technologies lead directly to personal information in databases and intellectual property - a far more important risk issue to tackle than the latest virus, Skinner says.

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Further Reading:

• Companies fail to track security threats
• Behaviour experts aid security plan
• Vista vulnerable to malware