Black Hat Survey: 36% of Information Security Professionals Have Engaged in Retaliatory Hacking

nCircle Survey Examines Views of 181 Attendees at Annual IT Security Conference

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Black Hat USA 2012, Booth 628 -- nCircle, the leader in information risk and security performance management solutions, today announced the results of a survey of 181 attendees of the Black Hat USA 2012 security conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Retaliatory hacking is a huge topic at Black Hat this year, but we should take these survey results with a grain of salt”

When asked “Have you ever engaged in retaliatory hacking?” 64% said “never”, 23% said “once”, and 13% said “frequently”.

The information security community is divided on the practice of retaliatory hacking. Some information security professionals believe retaliatory attacks may discourage further attacks, while others believe these attacks are only likely to escalate hostilities, and increased attacks have the potential to do irreparable damage.

“Retaliatory hacking is a huge topic at Black Hat this year, but we should take these survey results with a grain of salt,” said Tim ‘TK’ Keanini, CTO for nCircle. “It’s safe to assume some respondents don’t want to admit they use retaliatory tactics. It’s very tempting to strike back out of anger and frustration. However, as infuriating as cyber criminals can be, this ‘eye for an eye’ code of justice can be extremely dangerous.

Keanini added: “There’s a huge difference between a security expert who can qualify attackers and apply appropriate responses and a neophyte who reacts blindly. The best strategy for most companies is to forget retaliation and concentrate on improving their defenses.”

For more information about nCircle, please visit www.ncircle.com.

About nCircle

nCircle is the leading provider of information risk and security performance management solutions to more than 6,500 businesses and government agencies worldwide. nCircle solutions enable enterprises of all sizes to (1) automate compliance and reduce risk, and (2) measure and compare the performance of their IT security program with their own goals and industry peers. nCircle solutions may be deployed on a customer’s premises, as a cloud-based service, or in combination, for maximum flexibility and value.

nCircle has won numerous awards for growth, innovation, customer satisfaction and technology leadership and has been ranked among the top 100 best places to work in the San Francisco Bay Area. nCircle is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with regional offices throughout the United States and in London and Toronto. To learn how you can more effectively protect your company visit us at http://www.ncircle.com.

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