Pure Hacking Blog

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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Any website may use a number of different applications to ensure the best possible experience for their visitors. Unfortunately these applications can fall victim to the hackers, who exploit any weaknesses held within them to gain access to parts of the website with a view to doing damage or gaining information that should be kept private.

For example, we have probably all received emails from time to time that purport to be from a well known national or international bank, telling us that our account details need to be updated. Apart from the fact that half the time you don’t even have an account with that bank (proving just how many people must receive these emails for them to be effective), if you take a look at the URL it directs you to – don’t ever actually click on it though – you will see that there is usually a subtle difference between that URL and the real one. It may only be one letter different but that difference is all it takes to dupe people into giving the scammers their information.

While many people don’t fall for these, a worrying number of people still do and that means it is even more important that your own website and applications are as secure as possible, so hackers cannot access them and meddle with any of your own applications.

So what is the best route to take to make sure you can do this?

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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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Computer applications come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common when it comes to the daily security of your business – they all need to be adequately protected from hackers, who can do untold damage to them if they are allowed access to your systems.

So how do you gauge what the risk level is as far as your applications are concerned, and what do you do about it?

Many more companies are beginning to realise the benefits of application security services to help them see just how safe their businesses are from outsiders trying to break in. These services are designed to cover all areas of an application and they will also be able to help you identify which computer applications are most at risk and what you can do to minimise that risk.

Applications can be a tricky area to keep tabs on as they tend to be used by a lot of people within a company. Therefore the actions of some of these people can unwittingly open the whole company up to the danger of potential external threats.

It is often said that the best prevention is cure, and that applies just as much to the computer security business as it does to any other area in life. Putting limitations on what certain people can do with your computers helps to minimise the risk of applications being accessed by those who have malicious intent.

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