| There is no gainsaying the fact that over the years | | | | have no response plan for security breaches. This |
| particularly since the beginning of the current millennium, | | | | means that any business whether small or big with a |
| the Internet has transformed the world from just a | | | | broadband connection to the Internet risks becoming a |
| scientific network to an incredible platform that enables | | | | victim of the hackers. What these unscrupulous people |
| millions, if not billions of small, medium and large scale | | | | do is to clandestinely break into private computers and |
| business enterprises reach their customers by means | | | | infest systems with various kinds of viruses and |
| of just a click of the button. | | | | worms or gain access to sensitive files which may |
| Nowadays, one does not have to leave the comfort | | | | include a company's sensitive intellectual property, |
| of one's office room or residence before transacting a | | | | valuable financial information like credit card details, |
| huge volume of businesses amongst, individuals, | | | | account numbers and vital customer records. |
| groups, corporate bodies and even not-for-profit | | | | The hackers, on penetrating the network, use the |
| establishments. Just on a desk top computer, laptop | | | | details there as a launch pad for sending junk emails in |
| and even a mobile telephone gadget, one can check | | | | order to disrupt or overload their victims with junks. |
| one's account balance, send and receive money, study | | | | The attacks, in the end, may completely crash a |
| for a degree from reputable educational institutions in | | | | network and cause data to be completely deleted or |
| any part of the world and that is without going through | | | | even damage the entire computer equipment or |
| the Herculean task of traveling to the site with a large | | | | systems. |
| amount of money. The Internet continues to devise the | | | | There are cases where individual information is sold |
| simple means of attaining that previously incredible feat | | | | and used for sinister purposes. By this means, credit |
| once the will is there, the digital facilities provide the | | | | card details and passwords can be stolen thereby |
| way. | | | | causing huge financial losses to individuals. It is quit |
| Notwithstanding the vast potential and the ever | | | | obvious that hacking has caused and continues to |
| growing opportunities that the Internet has provided, | | | | cause until now, bankruptcy even in big companies |
| experts on Information, Communication and | | | | which, in the end, lose the confidence of their clients. |
| Technology are of the view that businesses, in the | | | | Big companies are the normal targets |
| present time, face serious threats by unwholesome | | | | There are some cases in which some companies |
| activities of hackers who always devise the means of | | | | clandestinely hire hackers to break into their |
| having unauthorized access to the vital information of | | | | competitors' systems to steal very valuable |
| establishments with the sole intention to defraud | | | | information while websites for online transactions are |
| business entities and even individuals. | | | | also hacked in order to get client and company |
| It is on record that currently, there are about 58,000 | | | | information that are eventually used for nefarious |
| computer viruses worldwide and the figure continues | | | | activities. |
| to grow at a very fast and alarming rate with almost | | | | In order to be free from the menace of hackers some |
| 700 new ones emerging each month as a result of the | | | | solid counter-productive measures must be taken by |
| nefarious activities of conscienceless hackers that are | | | | developing a strategic company information security |
| all over the place. Right now, there is 65 per cent | | | | policy, implementing network perimeter security and |
| increase in security threats to information systems | | | | conducting vulnerability tests on a regular basis. The |
| while in the past two years or so, the number of | | | | other way to beat the hackers to their game is by |
| internal network intrusion has almost quadrupled. | | | | investing on capacity building programs for the users |
| A recent information security survey discovered that | | | | who must also be equipped with different security |
| only about 64 per cent of respondents monitor | | | | techniques. |
| networks for security incidents and an equal number | | | | |