Tangled Web: Why Internet security is more important than ever ...

Jim Kerr is Alberta Venture's web editor. Tech Life will be your source for the buzz behind the latest trends in technology.

Mar 4, 2013

by Jim Kerr

What came first, the vulnerability or the hacker?

So far this year we?ve seen companies like Apple, Facebook & Twitter, major news organizations like The New York Times and The Washington Post and governments around the world fall victim to hackers.

In some cases, social media accounts are being hacked and the damage doesn?t go beyond a few embarrassed employees issuing statements and deleting tweets. In other cases, though, there are allegations of corporate espionage, finger pointing at certain governments and even the mounting threat of ?cyber war? between nations.

Security company Mandiant linked the Chinese military to a recent barrage of cyber attacks on the U.S. in a report that made headlines across the globe. The report alleges that a group run by China?s People?s Liberation Army was tasked with stealing government secrets and intellectual property from private American companies, especially those involved in critical infrastructure like power grids, gas lines and waterworks. It?s scary to even think about what an army could do with that type of intimate intelligence.

The latest hacking scandal involves government employees in over 20 European countries. In this case, an old trick from the late 1990s was used to get people to open up a PDF document that contained malware. Cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab says the governments of Ireland, Romania, Portugal, Belgium and the Czech Republic were among those targeted, along with a prominent research foundation in Hungary, two think tanks and a U.S. healthcare provider.

So, why is this all happening now?

It?s nothing new, say cyber security experts. Speaking to Buzzfeed, Chester Wisniewski with Sophos says it?s good to raise awareness about the threat that hackers pose, but ?things have been terrible for 20 years.? In an equally distressing quote, Richard Forno with the University of Maryland Center for Cybersecurity says all of these hacks coming to light should help us ?realize how insecure and how vulnerable we really are.? He says he?s been warning people since the ?90s about this exact thing.

The lesson here seems to be that if it can happen to the U.S. government, it can happen to you ? so what can you do to protect yourself and your business?

The first thing you should do, if you?re not already doing it, is make cyber security one of your highest priorities. Part of that task is constantly ensuring that all of your software is up to date and being aware of the types of vulnerabilities that are being targeted in that moment. Oh, and let?s not forget emails from suspicious looking senders and those attachments that shouldn?t be opened. Most importantly though ? if you suspect a hack, act quickly.

Hackers can be a crafty and opportunistic bunch who can end up doing real damage to your operation, but remember that there are steps you can take to minimize your risks.

Source: http://albertaventure.com/2013/03/tangled-web-why-internet-security-is-more-important-than-ever/

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