As of 2005, the Internet has over 700 million estimated global users. The Internet is not a single network, but a worldwide collection of loosely connected networks that are accessible by individual computer hosts in a variety of ways, including gateways, routers, dial-up connections, and Internet service providers. The Internet is easily accessible to anyone with a computer and a network connection. Individuals and organizations worldwide can reach any point on the network without regard to national or geographic boundaries or time of day.
In turn, business all over the world discovered new means to reach new customers and built new partnerships, transfer information at lightning speed while opening exciting means to communicate and collaborate on new projects. Online transactions followed suit, allowing new methods of payment for goods and services. Financial institutions comes in and started Internet banking services and transfer. Today, the total amount of transactions occurring over the Internet has exceeded all physical monetary or wired transactions
However, along with the convenience, easy access to information, services and transactions comes new risks. Among them are the risks that valuable information will be lost, stolen, corrupted, or misused and that the computer systems will be corrupted. From the business stand point, this could result in lost of confidential customer information, lost of revenue, lost of customer confidence and business reputation and could even result in some companies going totally out of business. If information is recorded electronically and is available on networked computers, it is more vulnerable than if the same information is printed on paper and locked in a file cabinet. Intruders do not need to enter an office or home, and may not even be in the same country. They can steal or tamper with information without touching a piece of paper or a photocopier. They can create new electronic files, run their own programs, and hide evidence of their unauthorized activity.
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In a recent August 2005 report by IBM, it announced a sharp increase in attacks on companies and their business infrastructure. During the first half of 2005 alone, more than 237 million overall security attacks were observed. Not only is the number of attacks on the rise, but also the level of severity and complexity through which these attacks were performed.
Based on a recent IBM report, virus-laden email and criminal-driven security attacks have increased 50 percent in the first half of 2005. Customized attacks on government, financial services, manufacturing and healthcare have also seen significant increases.
"To protect their critical data, infrastructure, brands and money….businesses (needs) to rethink how they protect their operations, business processes and governance structures"
IBM's Global Business Security Index, which tracks worldwide security trends, indicated there is not only a decrease in less profitable threats like spam and computer viruses, but also an increase in attacks involving money, such as data theft or identity theft. These attacks were notably directed at specific individuals or companies and often with financial, competitive, political or social motivations behind them.
In the words of John Lutz, general manager of IBM's financial services sector said, "To protect their critical data, infrastructure, brands and money, IBM advises businesses to rethink how they protect their operations, business processes and governance structures".
As the attacks become more targeted, companies will have to be even more aware of how technology could be used against them. Trends persisting, no longer will attacks be of the one-size-fits all variety, but will move towards more targeted, sophisticated and customized attacks meant specifically for the specific company and its business. |
Security