Invasion from Cyberspace
From freeware downloads off the internet to hi-tech hardware, there are now more ways to defend yourself against digital wipeout
DETOUR, Drive On | No 1: Vol 17, 2007
ARMED with enormous hard drives, extended memory, cutting-edge visual capabilities and super- broadband speeds, PC users in Cyber-Malaysia are savvy consumers. Nevertheless, they forget to place a very important cog in their massive machinery. Perchance it was a wise IT guru who once said: If you’re exposed, get protection.
In the information world, that means ICT security. “Many Malaysians don’t realize the importance of security,” says Tan Hock Guan, COO of Trans Niaga, an ICT security distributor, “Malware are proliferating at an astounding rate. As we become more educated as an IT society, I think the better our survival rate.” And Tan could not overestimate the importance of IT security education, as according to Computerworld, IT spending in Malaysia is expected to grow 10% every year until 2010, when it will hit a mind-boggling RM22 billion. Storage and security solutions have also seen a marked increase across all sectors of the IT industry, as more users realize the importance of safeguarding their future.
Information-rich users, almost everyone, are under attack from a host of frightening terminology like spamming, which fills networks with unsolicited information; and phishing, which misleads users into giving away their personal information by hijacking DNS servers and setting up bogus websites. Gartner, the IT research firm, notes that phishing alone may have easily cost consumers and businesses US$2.7 billion in the first half of ’05. And this isn’t the worse that happens. A plague that hits both home users and businesses is keystroke logging, which occurs when spyware steals data direct from a system. Spyware also represents the most common intrusion suffered by PC users today. And no wonder. WebSense noted that the number of spyware-related websites had tripled to 130,000 by ’05 and makes up a vast majority of all malicious codes on the internet.
But proponents of safe utilitarian IT also have their artillery. There are big names in security such as Trend Micro, Authentium, or the popular free for personal download AVG. Aside from an anti-virus, which helps clear a PC of prior viral infections as well as prevents them, an overwhelmingly important security feature is the firewall, software that protects the ‘gateway’ into a systems. By checking any external entries with a firewall, no malware is able to penetrate and circulate a system network from the outside.
For business security, Tan suggests a multi-faceted approach whereby a variety of security software is utilized simultaneously. “Security installation is today made easier for business as there are security softwares packaged into external hardware devices, such as by Barracuda Networks and Fortinet, the latter which features multiple securities (UTM) inclusive of firewall, anti-virus and anti-spamming software.”
Increased security measures mean that internet hijackers are turning to different forms of attack. Already, professional cyber-criminals are constantly on the search for new ways to penetrate systems, one of which is the deployment of untraceable ‘botnets’, hijacked home PCs, to do their dirty deeds for them. As these bots are potentially limitless and attack in continuous swarms, professionals recommend a more ‘hands-on’ approach to security. “While a basic firewall has become a basic security feature for most businesses, in the past decade or so, technology has evolved so that users can monitor their security more closely,” says Mark Hrynczak, Quality Assurance Lead for TecForte, an ICT securities developer, “As IT users, we can’t afford to sit on our hind legs and wait till tragedy strikes. We must take action. It’s an arms race.”
The tools of the trade are becoming more sophisticated. Hrynczak refers to their latest security device, Log Radar, a security management program, which is installed so that businesses can monitor and archive whole gigabytes of daily report logs in minutes. As DNA to blood, these logs enable an IT user to trace the nature of any network activity. Security management software becomes especially prudent as unscrupulous employees take to subterfuge or trading in information, a valuable commodity in today’s world. “These days, with the right security options, business owners are able to track the security of their networks in real-time and without hassle. That’s what we hope for in developing new technologies – the ability to rein in new threats,” says Hrynzcak.
A ‘virus’ is probably one of the most apt metaphors in contemporary lingo as malicious software are not only infectious, but difficult to detect in a system. Fortunately, as with most things delicate, a little precaution goes a very long way.
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