The issue with cybersecurity is firstly how little people understand the risks they take online and the second is how little they appear to care, writes Simon Freeman. This is a toxic combination of cultural shortfalls that will see cyber crime grow to the point where we will either need to abandon the internet as we know it today, or accept this form of crime as a tax.
There are several key drivers and these must be understood if we are to deal with the matter. Here are the basic reasons why we are seeing growth in this area of crime.
Ease of committing a crime: Getting away with a crime on the internet is easy; you require few tools and not a lot of knowhow.
Globalisation: Committing crime online can be done from anywhere on the planet.
Technology-savvy generation: Criminals are taking advantage of the highly qualified technically-savvy younger generation.
Anonymity: There are now tools available that are dedicated to hiding our identities. The very tools we use to protect our privacy are widely available to the criminal fraternity to do exactly the same.
Hard to detect: Identity theft, loss of intellectual property and low value fraud may simply go unnoticed.
Ineffective protections ? helping the criminals: Tools and solutions we provide to improve our security are either used against us, or lead to a false sense of security that exposes us even more.
Over-trusting online: We simply do not question what we are seeing any more. We are optimistic and assume things are real rather than question everything.
Addiction to ?easy?: We are now so addicted to simplicity and ease of use that the steps to make things more secure are often rejected for fear of alienating users and customers.
High volume, low value: Amounts small enough to either ignore as too much hassle to report or, for the police, simply swamping their ability to do anything about it.
Victim complacency: Millions of accounts were stolen from eBay when they were attacked. The real scandal though was that there was no scandal. Everyone just shrugged their shoulders and went on with their daily business.
Victim education: Most people simply do not understand the risks they take online.
Business complacency: Businesses are probably more complacent than individuals. The amount of data leaked from companies is significant.
Generation gap: The youth of today are brought up with an unprecedented range of communication tools and applications. But the data collected and transmitted can have serious repercussions and our youth has little or no appreciation of the consequences of their actions.
Data leakage: It surprises people to know that on average, without any illegal activity, we can find your full name, address, date of birth, your relatives, your friends, where you went to school and when, your job and perhaps job history, which bank you are with, your hobbies, your music tastes and in many cases your financial situation, all online.
Social engineering: This is simply a fancy term for a way to improve the chances of getting you to do something a criminal wants you to do. We have all received those emails from a Nigerian prince asking for your help to repatriate $100 million.
As a PA you need to become more aware of the kinds of threats that are out there. With many management assistants handling incoming email for their employers, it is vital that they become the first line of defence. Scepticism is the best protection around.
Simon Freeman is the CEO of Fresh Skies. He is an online business expert with cross-discipline knowledge and experience. With a background in artificial intelligence and philosophy, Simon has a unique ability to translate technology into business. His career spans from the very first versions of Netscape in London through banking in New York and Milan, to founding and running innovative, leading-edge online technology companies. Fresh Skies offers secure communications solutions such as Mkryptor, the easy-to-use secure email. Find out more about the company?s products and services at freshskies.com
