The Internet Is Infected
Back in March of 2009 CBS News posted a story about computer viruses propagating on the internet and infecting PCs which enable their creators “cyber gangs” to get information they need to electronically rob the bank accounts of their victims. There are hundreds of these malicious cyber-criminal rings with names like Anonymous, Lulzsec, Grey Pigeons, Russian Business Network and so on. Their motives are to create havoc and profit from their victims by selling their stolen data, taking cash from their bank accounts and other illegal activities.
The interesting part is that virus out breaks have almost disappeared and the feeling of being vulnerable has almost disappeared. Often when I speak to a business leader about addressing this issue a common response could be “we don’t have valuable data”, “They couldn’t profit from accessing our systems”, “I’m comfortable that we aren’t vulnerable” and yet small and mid-sized businesses continue to be easy prey for these cyber thief’s.
There was recently an article written in the Wall Street Journal that reviewed three small companies that had suffered from cyber-attacks and in one case the small business, a burger restaurant, actually went out of business as a result. The lax security in small companies made them easy prey, afterall what kind of information would a hacker want from a company that sells burgers, newspapers or cars.
I recommend you read the article and think about your small business and what strategies you have in place in 2012.