Symantec IP theft highlights 3rd party security threat

Symantec's confirmation that hackers have stolen a segment of its source code for its Norton anti-virus software from a third party, highlights the fact that for any organisation, third party suppliers can be an attractive way for cyber criminals to gain access to data and networks that would if not be beyond their reach.

At the time, Paul Ducklin, head of research for security firm Sophos in the Asia Pacific region said that as a cloud provider of electronic direct marketing services, a security breach of the Epsilon system was a breach of all its clients' systems, too."If the security of third party suppliers isn't validated you've potentially got an unlocked door in the middle of a wall. It's essential for companies to treat the information security of suppliers with the same seriousness as their own, and verify the systems they have in place," says Vlissidis