Pure Hacking Blog

When addressing the issue of web security there are two ways to phrase the question concerning what to spend on IT security. The first question is: How much should I expect to spend on web security? The second question is: How much will it cost the company if I don’t spend enough on web security? Of course a business not only needs to spend money on system security, but it must be spent on effective security systems and reviews.

In today’s economic climate the issues of security have come to the forefront as web site hackers and computer system attacks grow globally. When looking at the issue of systems and software security, you must consider potential company losses due to online theft, the return on investment for having adequate security, and the need to stay ahead of the brilliant hackers able to manoeuvre their way through even the most sophisticated muli-leveled software systems.

In March 2009 a hacker’s group proved that hacking can reach into a customer data bases without a company even knowing. A UK newspaper, “The Telegraph”, was compromised by a hacking group and the newspaper found out when the nameless hacking group posted screen shots and other information on the internet, gleaned from their hacking of a 700,000 customer base, as proof of their success.

Upon reading the story closer it seems The Telegraph was using a 2-year old third party code that simply was outdated in the world of sophisticated hackers. When hackers obtain access to customer credit card data, personal information, or government identification numbers, it won’t take long before a company finds itself losing business because the targeted market is unwilling to take a chance on accessing their website.

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A question that we hear a lot when it comes to cyber-crime: What are hackers after, anyways?

There are a lot of different types of hackers and computer scammers out there, so there’s no one answer. Some of them are just practical jokers, some use viruses to get revenge on the company they were fired from, or just to bother random people online. The main reason hacking exists, however, is that it’s a great way to make a dishonest living by stealing information from unsuspecting users.

If you have the know how, the time, and the lack of moral scruples, it’s really not that hard to crack into someone’s computer with a spybot and monitor their activity, or even to take control of their computer from afar and look right into their files.

So now the question becomes “Why?” Why do hackers want that information so badly?

There are a number of things a hacker can do with the information they steal from you. The most obvious example would be, of course, that they can steal your financial information or your identity, using your credit card number to buy whatever they like or even getting into your bank account.

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Compromises to security come in all shapes and sizes. There are the big network problems that are caused when a hacker breaks through and causes all kinds of trouble. And then there are the minor mistakes which are made by well meaning employees who think they are acting in a good way. An example of this could be the act of bringing in a corrupted file from home to use at work, without realising the danger.

But however the errors happen, the endgame is the same. If your customers become aware that there is a problem, their confidence will start to melt away with it. This is true even if the problem has now been solved.

Unfortunately some people spend so much time thinking about solving the big problems that they fail to notice the small ones. And these can cause just as much damage.

This is why internet security consultants are worth their weight in gold. Not all companies see this as the valuable asset that it is, but that is their loss. The truth is that companies who use this type of service will always be far better protected than those who don’t.

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What is your definition of hacking? Most people think of the news stories that relate to big companies having embarrassing problems as their data is compromised. But in truth, hacking goes a lot further than this.

It doesn’t always have to be someone you don’t know who hacks into your systems and causes problems for your business. It could equally be someone who works for you that doesn’t have your best interests at heart. This is because the basic meaning of hacking is when someone accesses some or all of your computer systems without permission. And it doesn’t just happen over the internet.

Quite often, many people don’t see how widespread computer hacking can be. Assuming that they are only in danger from internet based attacks means they may not be covered for all risks. Even those companies that do all they can to prevent hacking which occurs online may have unwittingly turned a blind eye to other dangers.

This is why an understanding of what hacking is and what it involves can help you to protect your own business more fully. But what do you do if you don’t know all the ins and outs of the threats posed?

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Every single time we go online, go about our business or do any other business activity related to the internet, we are running the risk of letting someone through our defences. It stands to reason then that we need to be doing everything we can to keep our business security levels as high as possible. Every single business that has ever experienced a security breach will tell you that it is one of the most worrying and disruptive events that a business can go through.

But does that point to training for all members of staff in a company that has a big presence online? Is that the way to make sure that cyber security levels are kept at the best possible level?

In truth, while it isn’t the only way that you can keep your business safe it is certainly a step in the right direction. The best solution is to hire the services of a knowledgeable company that exists to make sure other businesses are kept safe online. However that does not automatically mean that you have no responsibility to train staff regularly in order to help your cause as well.

Put simply, regular training can help prevent security breaches from taking place at all, because quite often loopholes or areas of fragility are created in a business and its daily dealings purely because a member of staff has done something – or not done something – that is essential to maintain a high level of internet security. If businesses take more responsibility and organise regular training sessions for employees then there is less chance of a security issue being raised at all.

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Whenever someone takes out their credit card, accesses your website and pays for goods, they are opening themselves up to the possibility of fraud. But of course, that is a very over simplified statement regarding this problem.

There is a lot that the customer can and should do to make sure their details are kept safe. A good example is making sure they are paying through a secure site and that the address bar still contains the right address. However there is a big onus on the company taking the payment to ensure that everything is kept safe too.

The truth is that it doesn’t take hackers very long to run up purchases on a credit card once they have all the details related to it. And of course, there is all the information related to the customer as well which needs to be protected. This means that all websites have an even greater responsibility to their customers and visitors to keep their details as safe as possible.

Computer internet security is arguably the most important part of any online business. It isn’t just the initial fallout from payment information being compromised that is damaging, either. It is undoubtedly the damage to the level of trust held with that company that can have the biggest effect over time.

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When it comes to the security of your online business, how responsible are you with the safety of your website and all the information that is tied up with it? The answer to that question will tell you a lot about how safe you can expect your business to be both now and in the future.

There are two types of people in this area – ones who are pro-active and ones who are reactive, and to keep your website as secure as possible you want to make doubly sure that you fall into the first group.

So why is this? Why should you be pro-active regarding your internet security?

The reason is because being pro-active means that you don’t wait for something to go wrong in order to analyse how effective your solutions really are, or how protected your business and your customers are. If you are reactive on the other hand, you will find yourself merrily going along on a day to day basis with your head in the sand… not even considering the fact that there might be a problem with anything until one actually occurs.

And if you have read even a fraction of the news stories online which point to the activities of the cyber criminals, you will know that they are always finding ways to breach the security of companies who don’t take their own protection seriously.

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The recent developments regarding the Large Hadron Collider – a machine built to try and figure out how the Big Bang happened – were overshadowed not long after the experiment started by news that hackers had managed to access one of the computers being used for the experiment to register their distaste at what was going on.

While the experiment itself was unharmed the general public cannot now find out what is going on because the website related to it has been hacked and cannot be accessed.

So in answer to the question posed by the title of this piece, the answer would appear to be that we are still some way behind them.

Hackers act on all kinds of motives, and one of the reasons why they have so many opportunities to hack into websites is that some people think they are only at risk if their site takes payment information from others. That simply isn’t the case, because some hackers do what they do simply to compromise internet security, or to make a point of how easy it can be to hack into a facility. There are numerous examples of hackers managing to get past the defences of government websites and those relating to parts of the law, so there is clearly no single reason why websites are continuing to be hacked into and exposed as being insecure as a result.

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Okay so here is a fact for you – the biggest name businesses with the biggest websites raking in the most money online are the ones that are most at risk from cyber criminals. Right?

Actually, that isn’t necessarily true – and that is why so many smaller businesses are caught short with their woefully dismal attempts at internet security.

There is no question that a huge business selling goods over the internet is obviously going to be taking in a lot of money, and therefore they will have plenty of card details and customer details in their possession. But that doesn’t mean that smaller businesses aren’t equally – or perhaps more – at risk than they are.

Let’s consider this for a moment. The biggest sites know that their success rests partly on how secure their business is. If they cannot protect the information of their much valued customers then their business is not going to be a very stable one – because if the worst happened they could quite easily end up losing everything.

And it would arguably be far worse for a huge business like this, because they have the funds and the wherewithal to make sure they get the best in the business when it comes to hiring internet security consultants to check the security of their systems. There is really no excuse for them not to take every single measure in the book and more besides to protect everything on a regular basis.

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Computer hackers are a ruthless bunch. They are continually on the look out for businesses whose defences are down – even by just a notch. Once they find one, they will go in and exploit them as much as possible, whether that is by stealing information and profiting from it elsewhere, or simply to cause trouble for trouble’s sake.

It is no big secret to say that hackers are always progressing and always finding new ways to disrupt businesses and their systems. Many people don’t bother to follow what they are doing in any great depth, but if you have your own business (which no doubt relies on computer systems on a daily basis) it may well be in your best interests to keep a finger on the pulse of the hackers and their activities.

By doing so you will have some insight into what the latest threats to your security are. It is a simple fact that whatever steps you take today to maintain your cyber security, those steps may still not be enough tomorrow. Depending on how well you are protected and how quickly you can update your systems to offer better security against what the hackers are currently doing, you may still be at risk of being compromised from time to time.

Unfortunately most of us don’t have the time to keep up with the hackers and their tricks when we have a business to run. What’s more, most business people don’t know the first thing about hacking – unless of course it happens to them and they then have to deal with the consequences.

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