Cyber Crime

Cyber crime covers a broad area, everything from hacking government web sites to cyber terrorism, but some of the most common cyber crimes are committed against businesses and individuals. Many organizations simply have not made cyber safety a priority. If you read the articles below, you'll see that this should be moved way up the "to do" list, and you'll also find some ways you can begin to protect yourself against cyber crime.

Cybergeddon is a huge threat facing us today. (Item #1)   Cybercrime is among some of the most insidious-and profitable-of crimes. (Item #2)   Social media networks are playing a role in cybercrime. (Item #3)  

Cyber crimes can be thwarted through a comprehensive prevention and detection strategy. (Item #4)   Small businesses must create a culture of security among their staff/clients/customers. (Item #5)   We now face organized attempts to steal intellectual property in whatever form it may take. (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments & insights regarding business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, email me at [email protected].

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp

1. Asleep at the Laptop

The alarm bells sound regularly: cybergeddon; the next Pearl Harbor; one of the greatest existential threats facing the United States. With increasing frequency, these are the grave terms officials invoke about the menace of cybercrime - and they're not understating the threat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/opinion/preventing-a-cybercrime-wave.html

2. Cyber crime: a clear and present danger

Threats posed to organizations by cyber crimes have increased faster than potential victims-or cyber security professionals-can cope with them, placing targeted organizations at significant risk. This is the key finding of Deloitte's review of the results of the 2010 CSO CyberSecurity Watch Survey, which finds that the growth of the threat of cyber crime has outpaced that of other cyber security threats.
http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/AERS/us_aers_Deloitte%20Cyber%20Crime%20POV%20Jan252010.pdf

3. Social Media Companies Contribute to Cybercrime

Cybercrime is an everyday problem that threatens business operations and causes large out-of-pocket expenses for individual and corporate victims alike. Although statistics regarding the actual cost of cybercrime vary, the incidence of cybercrime has climbed steadily over the past decade. It is estimated that one million people become victims of cybercrime every day, and it estimates the financial cost of cybercrime is larger than the combined global black market for cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jodywestby/2012/03/14/social-media-companies-contribute-to-cybercrime/

4. Protecting Your Organization against Cyber Crime

Cyber crimes such as Internet fraud, identity theft and other data related crimes have been steadily growing in frequency and sophistication, having escalated by over 80 percent in recent years, as criminals increasingly seek vulnerable donor and organizational information. These crimes can cause significant damage to organizations, resulting not only in initial losses and business disruption, but residual financial and reputational consequences.
http://mcgladrey.com/Muse/Protecting-Your-Organization-Against-Cyber-Crime

5. Five Ways Small Businesses Can Combat Cyber Crime

Cyber crime can have a devastating impact on a small business, which often lacks the in-house technical expertise and resources to quickly and fully recover from cyber attacks. Small businesses can also even unknowingly aid in cyber crime by using unsecured computers, which cyber criminals can hijack and use to attack other online businesses or even our nation's critical infrastructure.
http://www.startupnation.com/business-articles/9012/1/technology-cyber-crime.htm

6. Intellectual Property Theft: Protecting Data against Cyber Criminals

Criminals are criminals. Although there are some novel crimes committed against computer systems, almost all of these crimes fit into the mold of good old fashioned offenses such as theft, fraud and harassment. Unfortunately, the often remote, cross-jurisdictional and complex technical nature of many computer crimes make these offences far more difficult to investigate and successfully prosecute. Another complicating factor of computer crime is the sheer scale of the offences being committed.
http://www.bloorresearch.com/analysis/11762/intellectual-property-theft-protecting-data-cyber.html