Access Control
& Security Systems

The U.S. government is at risk for a major cyber-attack in the next year, but agencies are not adequately prepared to defend themselves, according to a survey of information technology professionals by the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

Forty-nine percent of IT professionals think it is likely the government will be hit by a major cyber-attack in the next 12 months, with a third of those saying it is extremely likely.

"We are at war, but the U.S. government has yet to move at war speed to protect against cyber-attacks," said Bill Conner, president, chairman and CEO of Entrust. "Unlike Y2K, where industry and government worked together to ward off a one-time problem, the risk of a major cyber-attack will be a persistent threat."

One finding of the survey was the belief of IT professionals that the government needs to devote more time and resources to cyber-security -- even more than it did for Y2K. BSA member company CEOs -- during the group's Global Technology Summit in December and again a few weeks ago at a White House meeting -- have reiterated their commitment to help the administration establish a more concerted cyber-security initiative.

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