| Internet Security has become an umbrella term | | | | seemingly innocuous Web sites and corporate |
| encompassing everything from hacker detection to | | | | espionage are all areas that require conscientious |
| anti-virus protection. The focus of this article is on how | | | | governance. Security risks may also be inadvertent. |
| employee misuse of the Internet can affect your | | | | Take Phishing for example. Here, a phony Web site |
| bottom line. One of our company’s quickest | | | | dupes unsuspecting users by publishing Web pages |
| success stories was a customer who kept losing | | | | with the look and feel of the authentic Web site it |
| competitive bids for contracts based on price. Fearing | | | | intends to mimic. Suppose your accounts payable clerk |
| an inside leak, the customer installed our Employee | | | | receives an email from what appears to be your |
| Internet Management software and quickly discovered | | | | company’s bank. She responds to the email which |
| that one of his employees was being compensated | | | | asks her to click on a Web link to update her email |
| for emailing confidential bid details to a major | | | | address. As expected, her Web browser opens and |
| competitor. Another of our customers, a large hospital, | | | | she is taken to a site that has been built with the exact |
| was inundated with viruses –and not the biological | | | | look and feel of your bank’s Web site. As usual, |
| sort. Computer viruses were frequently plaguing its | | | | the clerk is prompted to enter her secure user name |
| systems,rendering them useless at times. Antivirus and | | | | and password. After entering her credentials, nothing |
| antispyware software tools would successfully clean | | | | visually happens.However, something very damaging |
| up defiled systems, but only after they wreaked havoc | | | | does happen; The Phishing site has captured her |
| for users and the IT staff. The hospital installed our | | | | credentials and the authors of the phony site can now |
| solution in order to identify usage patterns and | | | | access your account at the authentic bank Web site. |
| determine and block likely Web sites and users that | | | | The bottom line is if you are in business and your |
| were the root cause of their issues. The hospital’s | | | | employees use computers, you need to protect your |
| primary concern was that an employee could | | | | data against unauthorized access – both internally |
| inadvertently download a trojan, making an infected | | | | and external – and the best methods for doing so |
| computer a gateway to external hackers and | | | | are always a balance between technology and |
| providing unauthorized access to patient information. | | | | personnel management. |
| The fastest growing cyber crime involves the buying | | | | The next series will discuss strategies for dealing with |
| and selling of intellectual property—a company’s | | | | productivity, liability and security issues caused by |
| new product designs, proprietary financial information | | | | inappropriate use of the Internet. Pearl Software |
| and confidential memos. An increasing percentage of | | | | provides Internet monitoring, filtering and control |
| valuable corporate data is being electronically siphoned | | | | products to government agencies,corporations, |
| and sold to the competition. As the Wall Street Journal | | | | hospitals, schools and libraries throughout the world. |
| reported, the biggest threats to information security | | | | Pearl Software’s key patent-pending products |
| often don’t come from hackers. They come from | | | | include Pearl Echo®, Website-Echo™ and |
| a company’s own employees. The insider threat | | | | IM-Echo™.The company also offers browser control |
| and internal surrogates are the focus of the | | | | software, TakeMeHome™ and partners with law |
| Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber | | | | enforcement to extend the application of its remote |
| Security Division. Malicious acts by disgruntled | | | | and mobile Internet monitoring and control capabilities. |
| employees, viruses picked up in e-mail spam or from | | | | |