Story So Far:
Cyber space, it’s growing year on year. There appears to be a never-ending rush to commit more and more of our lives to this online reality we know as the web. Never before have the hackers and cyber criminals had such an extensive playground to launch their threats and exploits against. How pathetic now does the release of Brain (the first known computer virus that spread in the real world) look? Since 1986 we have been under constant attack.Our response in developing anti-virus software was flawed. Why did we need to identify and name viruses? What we should have done was to block them. It would have been so easy back then. In those early days viruses were “boot viruses” they infected both floppy disk and hard disk boot sectors. We could have blocked them generically without the need to identify them. In fact one product I know of Disknet actually did just that! It’s a pity more people didn’t get to learn of that product quick enough. Who knows the problem of viruses may not have proliferated. Unfortunately the route we took pandered to the virus writer’s ego. “Just look how far and wide my latest virus has spread. Think you can catch this one? Well maybe not the next one.”
Hacking and cyber criminal activity took on a new life. Organised gangs got to work in the field, much safer than breaking into a bank with shotguns, just steal your fortune online.As you would expect our response was to slam the network door firmly closed.“Lock” down the user, limiting their ability to work effectively and thus making so many computer users lives a misery.
An Enlightened Approach:
As we move further into the second millennium we are beginning to fight back in a more enlightened intelligent way. We now understand that to make our responses effective to the myriad of threats posed we have to deploy more intelligent systems and approaches that do not force the user to change the way they work or to impose too onerous steps to steer the user from insecure to secure.Who’s Advising You?
How can we tap into this new-enlightened way of responding to the threat? So often new trends and ways of doing things are untested and postulated by people and companies with very short track records. We must make sure we are talking to the experts when advice is sort out. Who advises your company on IT security? What qualifications do they have? This can be a minefield! Where should we turn to get sound advice without the techno baffle and BS? I’m going to let you into a secret… One that’s been kept very well over the years, but it’s a resource we can all use and trust.Best Kept Secret:
Ever herd of CESG? No… Well let me enlighten you. CESG is the UK’s national technical authority for information assurance. If you hadn’t herd of them it’s not surprising since there business is keeping information secure. As part of GCHQ, which you probably have herd of, they can trace their lineage back to the code breakers of World War II and beyond. Now how does that help us with our cyber security issues? Well from their website www.cesg.gov.uk you can gain a wealth of information that will be useful to you, everything from tested and certified security products to policy documents and security consultants.Next Step:
If you require a hand with the next step, since digesting all of this information can be very time consuming, you may consider using an accredited consultancy and supplier of IT security products.Author Bio:
Visit http://www.softbox.co.uk/cybersecurity for more cyber security news, information and products.