Free Privileged Account Discovery Tool: Identify & secure credentials to stop lateral movement. Download Free

BeyondTrust
  • Products
    Privileged Password Management
    Discover, manage, audit, and monitor privileged accounts
    Password Safe DevOps Secrets Safe
    Endpoint Privilege Management
    Manage privileges on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Unix endpoints
    Windows and Mac Unix and Linux Active Directory Bridge
    Secure Remote Access
    Centrally manage and secure remote access for service desks and vendors
    Remote Support Privileged Remote Access
    BeyondInsight Analytics
    See All Solutions
  • Resources

    Universal Privilege Management

    Our innovative Universal Privilege Management approach secures every user, asset, and session across your entire enterprise.

    Watch Video

    Learn

    Case Studies
    Competitor Comparisons
    Datasheets
    Glossary
    Product Demos
    Whitepapers

    Attend

    Events
    Go Beyond
    Training
    Webinars

    Support

    Changelog
    Professional Services
    Technical Documentation
  • Blog
  • Partners
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Services
  • Training
  • Events
  • Company

New Survey Finds 76% of IT Professionals in the Dark about Unauthorized Application Downloads on their Networks

April 23, 2014

  • Blog
  • Archive

While IT professionals recognize the dangers that unauthorized applications cause to their networks, most are letting these dangers go unnoticed, according to survey released today byAvecto.

The study, conducted at TechEd North America 2012 in Orlando, and TechEd Europe 2012 in Amsterdam, surveyed more than 1,500 IT professionals, many of whom hold decision-making and purchasing power in a wide array of work environments, vertical sectors, and job functions.

The survey unearthed the extent to which unfettered, unmanaged and infected applications can potentially sneak onto networks, wreaking havoc before being noticed. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed said they don't know how many unauthorized applications have been downloaded on their networks. This disconnect suggests that organizations will continue to invite infection to their networks if they provide excessive administrator rights to users. This is especially problematic, as noted in the findings, with younger workers increasingly demanding elevated rights on corporate PCs.

Among the survey's notable findings:

  • More than one-third of respondents had first-hand experience with the dangers of elevated admin rights, with nearly 40% reporting a network infection as a result of at least one unauthorized application being downloaded on their network.
  • 80% of those surveyed pointed to male employees, between the ages of 20 to 35-years-old, as the most likely to demand elevated rights. When considered in parallel with other trends blurring boundaries at work, such as BYOD, a troubling trend emerges in which younger workers have potentially dangerous expectations regarding technology and the workplace.
  • IT professionals are largely aware of the benefits of removing admin rights, as more than 50% of respondents would expect a decrease in support calls, and affiliated costs, as a direct result of removing admin rights. Yet, many feel mounting pressure from younger, tech-savvy employees for full administrator rights.

"Staff who have admin rights can unwittingly or irresponsibly download applications that contain malware and cause significant problems if entered into the corporate network," says Paul Kenyon, Avecto co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. "The answer is simple - don't give admin rights out to everyone, only to the few key IT administrators who really need them. You will see an immediate decrease in security risk and associated downtime as well as an increase in productivity from IT."

"We're also seeing the impact of Gen Y, a technically savvy generation that has grown up in an online and freedom-of-access world," adds Kenyon. "They often come into the enterprise with the same expectations of access and availability and - in many instances - have the skills and experience to be able to work around basic security protocols to get what they want. On top of this, many IT departments elevate users to admin rights as a means to quickly solve IT problems. Considering these factors, it's more important than ever for organizations to have a solution in place that enables the quick and secure removal of admin rights from users and the ability to deploy policies that elevate all of the legitimate business applications that require privileged access using privilege management technology."

Windows desktops that run with full administrator rights will continue to put organizations at real risk of infection as the sophistication of privilege escalation malware continues to evolve. Once malware gains access to administrator rights, it will continue to burrow deeper into the organization's infrastructure.

Using a flexible approach to privilege management, such as Avecto Privilege Guard, organizations can deploy secure and compliant desktops, without compromising users' ability to perform their day-to-day role. With Privilege Guard, users are empowered with the privileges they require, resulting in increased productivity and reduced desktop support costs.

Update: Privilege Guard is now Defendpoint

Privilege Guard has now evolved into the new security suite, Defendpoint, which encompasses Privilege Management, Application Control and Sandboxing. For more information, please visit www.avecto.com/defendpoint.

Kevin Franks, Marketing Communications Manager

Stay Up To Date

Get the latest news, ideas, and tactics from BeyondTrust. You may unsubscribe at any time.

I agree to receive product related communications from BeyondTrust as detailed in the Privacy Policy, and I may manage my preferences or withdraw my consent at any time.

You May Also Be Interested In:

Whitepapers

A Zero Trust Approach to Secure Access

Webcasts

Rising CISOs: Ransomware, Cyber Extortion, Cloud Compromise, oh my!

Whitepapers

A Zero Trust Approach to Windows & Mac Endpoint Security

BeyondTrust Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Keep up with BeyondTrust

I agree to receive product related communications from BeyondTrust as detailed in the Privacy Policy, and I may manage my preferences or withdraw my consent at any time.

Customer Support
Contact Sales

Products

  • Endpoint Privilege Management
  • Password Management
  • Privileged Remote Access
  • DevOps Secrets Safe
  • Remote Support

Resources

  • Blog
  • Case Studies
  • Competitor Comparisons
  • Datasheets
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Webcasts
  • Whitepapers

About

  • Company
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Leadership Team
  • Partner Program
  • Press

Languages

  • English
  • German
  • French
  • Spanish
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Japanese
  • Privacy
  • Security
  • Manage Cookies
  • WEEE Compliance

Copyright © 1999 — 2020 BeyondTrust Corporation. All rights reserved. Other trademarks identified on this page are owned by their respective owners. BeyondTrust Corporation is not a chartered bank or trust company, or depository institution. It is not authorized to accept deposits or trust accounts and is not licensed or regulated by any state or federal banking authority.