Part 2: Corporate Attacks Cost You Money

So you want to shop online and you think nothing will happen to you!

This is part 2 of a four part series.

So just because you have the big dog in your house and an automatic M16 beside your bedroom door plus that high cost home security system, you think that you can’t get robbed? Well what about your home computer?   

Security Management Software for networks is different for all kinds of situations. A small home or an office would only require basic security while large businesses will require high maintenance and advanced software and hardware to prevent malicious attacks from hacking and spamming. You can have the best Security Management Software on your home computer and still get robbed. Criminals may hack your bank account and transfer all your money while you are sleeping. They may go into your brokerage account and sell all your securities just because they can. They may steal your identity and open accounts in your name. 

More than 50% of the employees working for corporations in China believe that they own the software and data that they produce. That is why a great deal of data and software leave the Chinese work place. Some of that data has your name on it.

How? 

Because the government agencies, banks, lenders, or stores that you have shopping relations with will not protect their information like they should. Quite simply, they may not want to spend the money to protect you and them from cyber-attack. 

Do you know that; 

• 70% of all executives have a lack of confidence in their computer security,

• 70% of web sites have security flaws,

• More than 80% of organizations perceive that 85% of disgruntled employees and contractors as a likely source of attack of their computer systems, and more than 70% saw hackers as a likely source.

•  Corporate competitors and foreign governments are not perceived as a likely source of attack.

• There are over 100,000 known computer viruses.  As many as 60% of major US corporations have experienced a virus attack or computer break-in.

• Over 58% of companies have detected outsiders trying to gain computer access.

• 30% of companies don't know if there have been attempts from outsiders to gain computer access.

• Security breaches are created by criminals passing out computer games to unsuspecting users. 23% of PC game playing is done at the office rather than at home.

• Over 90% of Fortune 500 networks have been hacked.

• Client information is the number one theft from company computers.

• 60% of computer abuse is caused by insiders. 85% of computer break-ins occur internally. Insiders still remain as the most serious threat to intellectual property.

• 25% of all organizations reported attempted break-ins via the Internet. An FBI survey of 400 companies showed that only 40% reported Internet break-ins. One out of 5 Internet sites has suffered a security breach. (Reported by CSI)

• Only 17% of companies whose computers were hacked report them to law enforcement. Fear of negative publicity was a key reason organizations did not report them.

• The penetration of information and communications systems is the fastest growing emerging threat.

• Only 54% of Information Technology companies have a security policy. 62% of companies have no security policy for reporting information loss.

• 33% of companies have no mandatory warning banner putting users on notice to be monitored online. 63% of companies with banners do not enforce it.

Knowing these numbers, top managers of corporations and governments will not spend the money to protect their information assets until information starts walking out the door and it starts crippling the company. This is how you the taxpayer and consumer gets hurt in this game of cyber-attacks. 

If I was a young man again, I would go to school to become a Cyber Security Expert. That is where the future jobs are and the money!  

*****

This is the end of the fourth month of 2013 and the DOW is still beating my portfolio in the area of total value. The DOW is closed up 13.25% on April 30, 2013 while my bond portfolio closed up only 6.657%. It appears that the DOW is in at least a short term Bull Market.