Yesterday, I stopped by the FBI’s Security Workshop (although it was more like a discussion) to see what was going on in the world of computer forensics. I expected the speaker to lead off with something referring to Bittorrent, but the first ten minutes were on keeping your computer up to date in terms of virus protection and operating system updates.
The rest of the lecture centered around identity theft, critical information leaks in business, and the cost of it all.
Identity theft is a major point of concern for most shoppers on the Internet. But the simple fact of the matter is you are actually more vulnerable through more traditional shopping like department stores and gas stations than if you are buying something at Amazon. Store clerks have become pretty adept at ‘double swiping’ your credit cards through a second reader that can be purchased for as little as $20.00…
Information leaks in business can come in all shapes and sizes. It can be an unsecured wireless network that serves as an entry point into a system, or a phone call from a ‘consultant’ needing 100,000 credit cards to run through a system that will interface with the business’s. It can also be a little spybot installed on a company network to see what it will do (because God forbid he/she install it on their home computer!!).
In terms of cost for a business, digital theft is FAR more costly than more traditional means. If someone robs a bank, they might walk out with $4000-$5000. So the bank would only be out that money, plus some bad PR. If someone steals 1.5 million credit card numbers, there is a much higher cost. They will lose everything that is charged to those 1.5 million credit cards, thousands of dollars spent to notify all 1.5 million people, bad press, and man hours to correct the problem.
In short, businesses need to protect themselves and their assets. These assets include computers, data, networks, and anything else that a hacker could get into. Even that computer sitting in the corner of the office that hasn’t been turned on in years. Do yourself a favor - walk over to it and pull out the network cable. Who knows what it could be doing…