Organized Crime and Computer Security
by Greg Welsh
Recent
press accounts are connecting the dots between computing attacks
and organized crime. Got a virus? A worm? Has someone been
phishing on your web site or in your email? Chances are it’s
not just a happy-go-lucky teenager in Milwaukee, but a hacker
with links to organized crime. And don’t just think
of it as the New York mob; it’s as global as the internet.
It was only a matter of time. Computers vulnerable
to attacks by increasingly sophisticated malicious code are
no longer merely targets for simple hacker cxploits: they
are now conscripted to be foot soldiers in crime syndicates.
Viruses and other malicious code now contain attacks on other
viruses and code designed to assert total control over a susceptible
computer. They also have the capability of establishing and
communicating with a peer network that distributes control
and attacks over a wide base of installations, ensuring a
self-perpetuating existence that transcends individual efforts
at eradicating threats with anti-virus software and good security
practices.
What
are these organized crime mavens doing with computer access
gained through their viruses and phishing attacks? Identity
theft. Hosting pornographic sites on unsuspecting computer
owners machines. Using compromised computers for spam mail
relays. Tomorrow there will be a new, as-yet-unknown repurposing
of computing power for illegitimate gain. With a growing global
internet, increasing bandwidth, and greater computing power
coming online every day, the possibilities are endless.
The only responsible course is to be as vigilant
as possible and to implement sound security practices in your
own computing environments. Have a web site? If it’s
hosted, ask your hosting provider what measures they take
to prevent attacks. If you run your own web site, reduce your
attack surface with aggressive measures designed to limit
would-be intruders’ ability to run code on your web
server.
Keep your operating system up to date –
don’t just check once every so often for security updates,
do it weekly. Have a good antivirus solution and make sure
that virus definitions are updated at least once a week. Put
a firewall in place and block internet traffic on all computer
ports (you may not realize there are more than 65,000 available)
except for known ports needed for basic services, and then
make sure ports are opened for communication only as needed
under controlled conditions. Encrypt your data on disk: the
latest Windows and Macintosh operating systems have built-in
encryption that will reduce your vulnerability, and there
are comparable tools for Linux users.
This
may make you wish for the simple days of the past when a cash
register and a receipt book were sufficient. But while the
details are many, the process for securing and maintaining
your systems is straightforward and can be reduced to a number
of procedures. Once you have a security audit, understand
your risk profile, and create an information security plan,
you can be sure that your exposure is minimized. Many companies
operate without experiencing downtime or lost productivity
due to computer intrusions. It’s a matter of priorities
and setting up the proper procedures to protect your business
and your customers.
I welcome
the opportunity to help you build your business through your
interest in the Small Business Advisor. You may contact me
via email.
