IT Security Stories to Watch: Panda Security Flags Itself as Malware

Panda Security accidentally flagged itself as malware last week, causing some user files to be quarantined.

And as a result, the antivirus software company topped this week’s list of IT security newsmakers to watch, followed by Bitglass, Trustwave and Software Advice.

What can managed service providers (MSPs) and their customers learn from these IT security newsmakers? Check out this week’s list of IT security stories to watch to find out:

1. Panda Security labels itself as malware

A corrupted Panda Cloud Office Protection and Retail 2015 signature file caused problems for Panda Security customers last week.

The damaged file prevented some users from logging into Windows, according to PCWorld. However, Panda Security replaced the file immediately.

“We have had an incident with our signature file that might have affected our Panda Cloud Office Protection and Retail 2015 customers. This issue causes some files to be moved to the quarantine,” Panda Security wrote in a blog post. “The signature file has already been replaced, so this situation should not recur.”

2. Most IT pros still concerned about public cloud security

Is your public cloud secure? A new Bitglass survey of more than 1,000 IT professionals revealed 90 percent of respondents said they are still concerned about public cloud security.

Other Bitglass findings included:

“The report confirms that the cloud is increasingly part of enterprises’ IT plans,” Bitglass CEO Nat Kausik said in a prepared statement. “At the same time, organizations are concluding that SaaS applications are less secure, slowing widespread adoption of these technologies.”

3. Trustwave: Expect the demand for MSSPs to increase in 2015

Trustwave’s “2015 Security Pressures Report,” released last week, showed that most businesses expect the pressure to secure their organizations against cyber threats will increase in 2015. Also, Trustwave researchers noted that the majority of information security professionals said they are likely or plan to partner with a managed security service provider (MSSP) to protect their organizations.

Josh Shaul, Trustwave’s vice president of product management, said both enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can work with MSSPs to fill information security manpower and expertise gaps.

“SMBs, many of which lack the manpower and expertise in-house to protect their data, can outsource their security needs to a third-party security partner so that their in-house ‘Jack of all trades’ can focus on other projects,” he told MSPmentor.

4. Most patients would change healthcare providers after data breach

A new Software Advice survey revealed most patients are unlikely to stay with their healthcare provider after it suffers a data breach.

The survey showed that 54 percent of patients said they would be “very” or “moderately likely” to change providers after a security data breach impacting their personal health information. Additionally, 69 percent said they would be “extremely” or “moderately likely” to change providers if staff misconduct were to blame for a breach, compared to 45 percent who said the same if a cyber attack were the cause.

Anthem and Independence Blue Cross are two of the biggest healthcare providers to suffer data breaches recently.

What do you think will be the biggest IT security stories for MSPs this week? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below, via Twitter @dkobialka or email me at [email protected].