Iraq Crisis has an impact to Internet security too. Viruses, worms and hackers are part of today`s information society and recent studies show that 90% of computer users encounter these threats while working.
The virus problem has grown radically during the past ten years. The first viruses were more of a nuisance and did not cause considerable damage. Now, when we are increasingly dependent on information technology, the situation is different. Alongside with technology, viruses have also evolved. Viruses contain payloads that are more complex than ever. The Slammer worm incident in January 2003 proved this by causing serious real-world problems, including taking down emergency service phone centers and air-traffic control systems.
"A single virus may contain functions that could previously only be performed by a hacker or a specialized spy program," says Mikko Hypponen, Manager of Antivirus Research at F-Secure. "Today`s worms, which create the largest financial impact of computer crime on businesses in South Africa, are able to spread, infect, destroy and distribute data autonomously. This also helps them spread faster than ever before, and attack increasingly critical systems," he continues.
A study by ICSA Labs shows that in a 20-month period, within 200 organizations surveyed, there were 113 virus attacks per 1,000 machines per month. A total of 28% of companies were hit with a virus "disaster", which was defined as affecting 25 or more servers or PCs (Source: ICSA Labs, 2002). In a theoretical example, just cleaning viruses from 25 computers connected to a corporate LAN costs roughly US$ 3,040. With 50 machines, this sum can be doubled. Another issue of course is the costs of lost working time and possible lost data, which can directly impact the company`s revenue.
Since the Internet recognizes no boundaries, most virus authors or hackers are never caught. "We were recently working on a case about the Slacke worm. This worm was found in Russia. After investigation we followed the tracks of the worm through several countries including Kuwait, Sweden, S~ao Tom'e & Principe, USA and Jordania. How is the local police going to solve crimes like these," remarks Hypponen.
We can read about computer crime almost on a weekly basis; confidential information being compromised, credit card information stolen, and so on. There has been a significant financial impact in cases where the hacker has been able to access a corporate network and has gained control over it. In these cases the damage is not just information being stolen, but data being altered, or being sent out under the company`s name or the name of an innocent employee.
The rise in the number of security threats has been parallel with the increase in broadband connections. Businesses have already had fast Local Area Networks (LAN) for a long time, but today most homes, too, have an always-on broadband connection. This leaves a constant source of backdoors open through which viruses and hackers are able to sneak in.
The state of world affairs also affects the information society, and repercussions of current events can be seen in the cyberspace as well. Crisis situations, such as the war on Iraq, may encourage Internet criminals to demonstrate their opinions over the net. First Iraq-inspired viruses have already been seen and there has been a rush of web defacements from US patriotic hackers, extremist groups, as well as from peace activists. Even though this is just a fringe effect, corporations are recommended to prepare for this when planning the response capabilities of their IT staff.
In order to ensure secure web usage and in order to avoid the risks associated with these threats, businesses have to make sure that they have up-to-date antivirus software and firewalls installed. On a corporate level this means that in addition to desktop computers, laptops, PDAs and smart phones, also file servers, mail servers, web servers and firewalls should be appropriately protected. For maximum protection, a product that updates itself automatically every day should be chosen.
Compared to the relatively simple networks of today, the future will bring us wireless networking ever harder to control, and with that, a whole new batch of new threats. There is no turning back, so the preparations for tomorrow are better started today.
Mikko Hypponen is in South Africa this week for a series of Security Seminars in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
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F-Secure Corporation is the leading provider of centrally managed security solutions for the mobile enterprise. The company`s award-winning products include antivirus, file encryption and network security solutions for major platforms from desktops to servers and from laptops to handhelds. Founded in 1988, F-Secure has been listed on the Helsinki Exchanges since November 1999. The company is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with the North American headquarters in San Jose, California, as well as offices in Germany, Sweden, Japan and the United Kingdom and regional offices in the USA. F-Secure is supported by a network of value added resellers and distributors in over 90 countries around the globe. Through licensing and distribution agreements, the company`s security applications are available for the products of the leading handheld equipment manufacturers, such as Nokia and HP. In South-African market, F-Secure has already operated for many years, mainly with large and medium sized companies. During these years F-Secure`s products have gained tens of thousands of users in South Africa.
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