MAKE PROTECTION YOUR PRIORITY

In the global Internet age network and data protection are crucial for all businesses. But what can be done to protect your IT systems against network security threats. Niamh Mac Sweeney investigates.

Cases of identity theft, fraud, child exploitation, computer viruses and under age online gambling have caused considerable concern about the safety and the security of the internet. The economic impact of these online threats has also grown considerably in recent years because it has become increasingly difficult to regulate and control individual use of the internet.

According to a recent ‘Future Fears’ report, online fraud and identity theft worries people in Northern Ireland more than gun crime. 49% of Ulster online shoppers said they are hesitant when entering payment credit card details online because of fears that they will be the victims of fraud and identity theft. The report, from pay-asyou-go VISA voucher company 3V, also found that 41% surveyed are concerned about being a victim of online fraud in 2007.

Misuse Of The Internet

The continued presence of viruses, worms and Trojan horses, to name but a few network security threats, is a major concern for business owners of all sizes. The possible threat to a business from fraud or misuse of the internet can have serious if not crippling effects on a business, especially if the business is in the startup phase.

As we all use the internet it is up to us all to ensure that it remains safe and secure for all users and to ensure that both business owners and consumers can have confidence and peace of mind when using any information technology.

While it may be increasingly difficult to regulate certain threats on the internet there are a number of solutions available to protect against and or limit the risk to your company IT systems.

The Impact On Business

According to Eircom, viruses and spam cost Irish businesses more than €188 million annually. Computer viruses can damage millions of computers in one go, while spyware can allow fraudsters to steal identities.

The most obvious threats to business IT systems are malicious codes, which includes anything from viruses to Trojan horses to spyware. The impact of these can be devastating to companies if they get onto their systems. They can affect people through websites or by opening emails that are also are carrying this infection. When they are on a persons PC and if it is not protected with up to date antivirus software or if the necessary patches aren’t applied they can range from being a small problem to being extremely destructive of data, deleting files on your PC. These infections also have the ability to send out files on your PC or they can use your PC for distribution of inappropriate or illegal content.

As we have witnessed in the past, pornography, exploitation of children and copyright protected material such as movies, leaves companies open to liability for the onward transmission of them, not to mention the drastic impact that can be experienced if there is loss of data.

Illegal Content

According to Conor Flynn, Technical Director with Rits Information Security, some of the worse case scenarios of IT security occur if illegal content is downloaded and the authorities discover this. If the equipment is seized an investigation can go on for years, which could potentially wipe out a small company.

Flynn also highlights the negative effects that fraud can have on a company regardless of the size of the business. “Companies might have internal systems where they are taking credit card numbers and somebody internally might get access to them.

There is advice under the data protection act as to how they can protect against this and there are legislative compliance issues that they have to be aware such as the digital copyright act. For example if employees are bringing in their Ipods to work plugging them into their PC even though the individual may have bought the content on it, the company hasn’t, so it is actually illegal under the copyright law to synchronise your PC with a legally held ipod,” Flynn warns.

Stealing Sensitive Information

Another area of concern is in relation to disgruntled employees. They can download formulas or sensitive information before going to work for a competitor. Many are often poached for the sole purpose of taking key information with them to another company.

It is possible to take a civil action and apply for a high court injunction against the person and the company which they are going to if the information they are taking is effectively considered a trade secret, or the intellectual property of the company. Taking that information in an underhand manner without authorisation is something that can be blocked with an injunction, however it is often the case that prevention is a much better line of defense. Flynn advices employers to draw up an employment contract, which should include terms that prevent somebody from taking any intellectual property to another organisation.

“Lots of companies are building in this ‘garden leave’ period where you can’t go to work for a direct competitor for six months if you do leave. Many organisations will escort an employee off the premise if they decide to leave and we would recommend this,” he says.

Protection Against IT Risks

In order for any business to protect against or limit the potential threats the first thing to do is to be aware of where the assets are at a corporate level. People are very quick to identify things that are worth financial value but they are often slow to apportion value to information.

“The first thing is to establish what that information is and decide whether it is appropriate that certain employees have access to that information and then it is important to put the appropriate controls around that information to ensure that the information is on a need to know basis,” explains Flynn.

Flynn advices employers to decide what controls can be put in place without breaking the bank. He also maintains there are lots of tools available that can help people at a reasonable cost. “A lot of SME’s don’t have in house IT assistance resources and would be relying on out-sourced companies and really it should be incumbent on the IT assistance to make them aware of what controls can be put in place,” he says.

Independent Security