If you retain customer data, listen up. IBM thinks it can help you halt attacks that come from within.

As they state in their latest report, IBM says this about attacks: "Organizations have spent decades counterbalancing more open, connected and distributed networks with stronger defenses against intrusion, including firewalls, anti-virus software, biometrics and identity access badges. These measures have made the business world more effective at blocking threats from the outside, and made it increasingly difficult for would-be hackers or viruses to penetrate systems. Such technologies, however, are largely passive in approach and designed to thwart only unauthorized access. They provide only a first line of defense." Worse, "The Global State of Information Security 2005," a study published by PricewaterhouseCoopers and CIO, showed that 33 percent of information security attacks originated from internal employees, while 28 percent came from ex-employees and partners. That's some serious, Untouched threat.

Go to the Ziff Davis web site to download the report.