Cybersecurity: Without it, we may have WWIII on our hands

Issues of today

As the world turns and technology advances to new levels, people are consistently relying on their smart phones and computers for all things informational. According to a study by infoplease, over 212 million people are using the Internet in North America alone. Since 2000, the amount of individuals who use the Internet has risen 151%. Now, more than ever, people are relying on their smartphones and portable laptops to obtain and transfer information. This leaves one question at hand: If all this information is being sent and kept wirelessly, how can we assure its safety, and is it really even safe? People access banking and credit card statements through their iPhones. With the capabilities of the iPhone, individuals can store valuable information on a small device that travels everywhere with them and is always readily available. Even though our computers and phones show a lock symbol to identify it as safe or encrypted, what’s to say that someone who engineered the technology could also engineer the technology to get around these locks? The issue that we speak of is Cybersecurity, and while there is evidence to show it is there, no one can truly see behind the screen at what is not so apparent.

Cyber Attacks: Prevalence, Ease, and Targets

Paolo Pesseri runs the website hackmageddon.com, who’s slogan is “I know with what weapons WWIII will be fought…” conducts research on the sensitive issue of Cybersecurity and hackings. Pesseri wraps up the month of September with the statement, “Probably this month will be remembered for the massive outage of six  U.S. Banks (Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and PNC ) caused by a wave of DDoS attack carried on by alleged Muslim hackers in retaliation for the infamous movie (maybe this term is exaggerated) ‘The Innocence of Muslims.’” If that doesn’t bother you or rub you the wrong way one bit, then you must have some serious faith in your technology’s security. Here, you can find a list of just some of the hacks that occurred day by day in the month of September.

Clearly, the sheer number of cyber attacks is a testament to the ease of the task.  In a video produced by BBC news, Jacques Erasmus from security firm Prevx displays how simple it would be for a hacker to shut down a website. Specifically, he runs a test on a test website created to display that with 60 computers, the website was rendered useless and shut down. He continues to discuss how high trafficked sights are at high risk since now hackers are threatening websites with their capabilities, making the computer hacking scheme a profitable act. Websites that receive large amounts of revenue stream such as gambling websites are in the crosshairs of these cyber criminals.

How to stop the ever growing and costly attacks

In Symantec’s security report for 2011, they crunch the numbers to reveal the fact that within the time it takes to watch the two minute video, there will be 5708 cyber attacks world wide! While conducting research with 3300 companies, they revealed that the number one concern of a company is that of cyber attacks. Because of the evolving technology with smartphones to access business databases and secure data, the risk at hand is evolving too. Within the past 12 months, 20% of large businesses in the United States faced costs of $270,000 related to Cyber Attacks.

            The same video outlines procedures businesses can take to prevent or attempt to prevent such attacks. First, businesses should implement security policies and enforce them with built in automation in workflow.  Such policies like this could be something such as encrypting email files to protect the flow of information being sent over the Internet, which could be easily intercepted. Second, identify and protect sensitive information and keep track of the people who have access to it and its paths out of the company. This too can be as simple as encryption. However, knowing the people who are permitted to view such important data such as social security numbers can be important when trying to track back potential security issues. With the prevalence of iPhones and taking business on the go, Symantec advises companies to validate users, sites, and devices that are interacting with the business. Fourth, companies should manage systems by implementing secure operating environments and enforcing patch levels, automating processes and monitoring system status. Finally, a company should protect the infrastructure by securing the endpoints, including mobile devices as well as messaging and web environments. Taking the advice of the security firm, companies can effectively avoid the ongoing threat of cyber security. The advancement of cyber hacking is a scary and real world issue going on, for a frightening look on a potential future issue, watch this video about a virus with the capabilities of starting world chaos.