Cyber ​​hackers can mess with Google – afraid for your business?




If you’ve been reading the news lately and noticed all the commotion around hacking attacks at some of the big boys like Google, Yahoo, and Adobe, you may be experiencing a twinge of anxiety about the security of your own business. . It is possible that he believed that his network was invincible, so this news could leave him unstable. He has good reason to feel that way, according to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald the number of hackers manipulating private financial information belonging to Australian companies is on the rise. Obviously, the use of the Internet and Intranet for business has become a viable solution to achieve the company’s goals, but on the negative side, the criminal faction sees the same opportunity.

Australia is a frequent target for cybercrime

Symantec, a data security company, reported that Australian and New Zealand businesses experience 75% more security breaches than the global average, with 89% of businesses surveyed in the past 12 months admitting at least one intrusion. Hackers don’t necessarily go after major companies where they can make big money. Like any other thief, they go where the risk is low and can get in and out of a system quickly and undetected. The fact is, you don’t have to be at any particular level of trading profitability to be objective. Smaller companies tend to use less comprehensive IT security, which makes them more susceptible. In general, hackers are interested in easy money.

Google and other large corporations are not exempt

The threat doesn’t always revolve around banking information or sensitive intellectual property. As Google discovered in December 2009, issues such as human rights are at stake in cyber attacks. The advertising and search giant was dismayed that a highly organized effort called “Aurora” was under way to hack the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. They managed to infiltrate only two accounts and were unable to see the actual correspondence of the account holders. The move put Google in the position where it deemed it necessary to warn the Chinese human rights community about the attack and prepare to withdraw business ties with China. Google officials did not directly accuse the Chinese government of being the perpetrators, but decided to review dealings with the country based on its attempts to limit freedom of expression on the Internet. Google expressed concern about the safety of Chinese citizens and the possibility that they will be interrogated and imprisoned.

There were at least 20 other major Internet, media, finance, and technology companies included in the attack: Yahoo, Adobe, Symantec, Dow Chemical, and Northrop Grumman, to name a few. It was achieved through a technique called “spear phishing”. This is similar to an attack against 100 IT companies in July 2009, where company employees were attacked with infected email attachments.

Small and medium-sized businesses have a minimal defense

Most companies are totally defenseless against these sophisticated attacks. They use instant messages and emails that seem innocent at first because the senders appear to be trusted friends and colleagues. The messages are tuned to evade antivirus programs designed for these applications. Obviously, the best practices for IT security that have kept attackers at bay for many years are no longer enough. There is an innovative caliber of attacks circulating around the world using custom malware written specifically for individual companies. Hackers don’t seem to care if it takes them longer to bypass antivirus software used by large corporations. They continue to painstakingly modify their malware until it becomes effective. Smaller companies that don’t have the budget for large-scale security haven’t had a chance. Hackers have the ability to control just one employee’s laptop and turn it into a gateway for full administrative access to the entire company network.

security company, iSec Partners who investigated the attack on Google and subsequent corporations recommend that we make fundamental changes to the way we protect our networks. They say that we simply have not been prepared for the level of sophistication demonstrated by new cybercriminals.

Hacker stories in Australian news

Internet news sites report on the direct effects of cyber hacking in Australia. today online He published a news article about a hacker called “Ghostbuster” who has been targeting Melbourne businesses as a response to anti-Indian violence. The person behind the attacks has been sending threatening emails claiming Australian servers will be hacked until racism against Indian citizens ends. The action followed the murder of a 21-year-old Punjabi student in January 2010. Several Melbourne businesses fell victim as their entire networks were thrown into chaos.

In the technology section of Age is a report describing the effects on government websites by hackers associated with the “Anonymous” group, known for its attacks on Scientology. This is the same group that temporarily criticized porn on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s website. On the morning of February 10, 2010, several government sites were down. The attack ran counter to the government’s plans for internet censorship. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy was unhappy that Australian citizens were unable to get needed services online, saying it was irresponsible on the part of hackers.

In the Sydney Morning Herald a journalist mentions the statistics that there are now more mobile devices in the country than Australians. It is not uncommon for an individual to have two or three. The growing use of wireless broadband brings accessibility and convenience to subscribers, but also expands the territory for cybercriminals. Currently, there are more barriers to hacking wireless devices than terrestrial networks, such as the cost of making a phone call. However, with mobile device technology advancing to the point where it can replace the need for a laptop, there is a chance that hackers will target them. Real devices may be safe, but Wi-Fi, often free and faster for users in public places, is a temptation for cybercriminals. You may think you’ve connected to a site operated by an airport, hotel, or coffee shop, but there’s no way to know for sure who controls the IP address that now has access to everything on your computer or mobile device. It’s not that hard for hackers to come up with a fake website that they think you can trust and that they can use to steal from your network at any time in the future.

Millions of dollars are stolen every day from people and businesses using the Internet. We are frequently warned about viruses, worms, and phishing scams, but somehow get caught anyway. The situation is getting worse as hackers become more adept at cracking the unique systems designed to keep them out. If you’re still uncomfortable with the vulnerability of your network, it’s worth listening to your intuition.

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