| Perhaps the question should really be, how long could | | | | they knew that confidential details about their |
| they bring down your business for? | | | | employment had been made available to everyone |
| It's an alarming thought, but in truth a single hacker with | | | | else working for you? It's clear that you would have |
| the right knowledge could seriously damage your | | | | some serious damage limitation to do, and the issue of |
| business to the point that you wouldn't be able to | | | | trust that is gradually built up between a business and |
| function in any real way for several days, perhaps | | | | its employees would be blown out of the water by |
| even longer. | | | | one single email. |
| It's clear that you have a responsibility to make sure | | | | Many people believe that all they need to do is ensure |
| your business is as safe as it possibly can be. In this | | | | that their customers' details are safe and their |
| sense the best stance to take is to assume that yes, | | | | payment details (if the company processes |
| a hacker could indeed bring down your whole business. | | | | transactions online) are not compromised, but the |
| Are you prepared to let that happen? | | | | above example shows that just isn't the case. |
| Of course not - and this is why you need to put in | | | | Hackers are capable of bringing down your business in |
| place adequate measures to protect yourself from | | | | more ways than you might think; which is why getting |
| attack by hackers with all kinds of motives for doing | | | | outside help is very often a good idea. |
| what they do. | | | | So who should you turn to? In short, you need to |
| If you still aren't convinced it may pay you to do a little | | | | focus on engaging the services of a trusted business |
| research on the consequences that hacking can bring. | | | | with an excellent track record in providing internet |
| A famous example occurred some ten years ago to | | | | security. This type of business has the wealth of |
| Pixar Animation. An email purporting to come from the | | | | knowledge and skills that you need to protect you |
| CEO (but actually coming from the hacker who had | | | | against hackers of all types and descriptions, right |
| managed to get into the system) was sent to every | | | | around the clock. |
| employee detailing exactly how much each of them | | | | There are plenty of companies around who have |
| got paid. | | | | been built up by so called 'ethical hackers', who make a |
| Now if this happened to your business, how would you | | | | point of using their considerable skills to help other |
| deal with the fallout? It's true that this kind of event | | | | businesses rather than bring them down. They know |
| does not have a direct effect on your clients, and if | | | | exactly how to breach a system, and will try to break |
| the hacker is just trying to prove a point and isn't | | | | into yours for the purposes of plugging all the |
| interested in having the personal information of your | | | | vulnerable spots they find. |
| employees then their personal information is 'safe' (if | | | | There is a real market for these services now, and if |
| you can really call it that.) | | | | you have a business yourself then you are definitely in |
| But how do you think your employees would feel if | | | | that market. |