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Cyber crime can hit directors
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Cyber crime can hit directors
Can you trust your bank?
According to Kelvin Lack of Insight Consulting, “cybercrime is now far easier to commit than ever before and the rewards are increasingly attractive.” Lack warns that “should cyber criminals pounce they are highly likely to avoid prosecution, yet there is a real risk that directors of the company could be prosecuted for failing to take the necessary action, making them liable to fines or imprisonment.” Such liability is also likely should your company become a host in a denial-ofservice attack. In this instance, the prosecution must prove that you have failed to implement appropriate security on your Web server. In order to help directors avoid the fall-out after a hack, Insight suggests the following: • Familiarise yourself with the appropriate legislation for liability: for example in the UK this is the Data Protection Act 1998 and corporate governance in the Turnball Guidance. • Adopt best practice: for example BS 7799. • Publicize your policy on cybercrime, use it as an evaluation criteria when selecting suppliers. • Ensure you have access to the appropriate skills needed for prevention and damage control. However, none of this is a substitute for good old-fashioned, well configured network security.
Recent surveys have revealed conflicting results regarding the perceived integrity of online banking. A survey commissioned by Europay International of 15 000 people from 15 European countries, has revealed that 68% of European online shoppers trust their bank to store their personal information safely. This statistic seems heartening. However, another report, from ICM Research, reveals that of 1001 UK adults, 69% think that online banking is ‘less safe’ than conventional banking. Compared with the same survey, conducted in June 2000, there has been a 22% loss of confidence. This indicates a worrying trend. When asked which activity they would be least likely to perform online, 56% said banking. Europay asked whether the consumers would be more likely to believe in the security of a website recommended to them as secure, by their bank. One quarter of Europeans said they would be more likely to shop at sites on secure lists published by their banks. Interestingly, in the more mature market of Scandinavia, this idea was very well received — 72% of Finns and 48% of Swedes would appreciate such lists. A massive 82% of ICM respondents called for Government intervention in order to prevent fraud on the Internet in general.
4
The disparity in results may be explained by the fact that the UK press have recently had a field day in publicising hacking attacks and teething problems with many of the major high street banks. This would explain the increased lack of trust there, against the backdrop of general European faith in not only the bank, but in its recommendations for security. Even so, the call for Government intervention may mean that consumers are focusing on security and feel that they should be able to trust Internet transactions, in particular, banking.
PRODUCT NEWS
Biometric screensaver for notebook Sony has teamed up with authentication company Keyware to include a biometric screensaver on its CMR-PC1 USB notebook camera kit. It will work by the user looking into their Webcam and saying an agreed password. The system will then authenticate the user’s voice and facial features. Each machine can be configured to allow multiple pre-defined users to access a notebook. Using biometrics in this way is an effective form of security and is likely to prove more reliable than the use of a PIN or password. Analysts predict that Webcam’s will continue to be a growth area because uses are increasing as the technology develops. There are now
applications for Webcams as security devices in video conferencing, network security ands remote surveillance. For further information on the Webcam see www.sonyeurope.com.
Layered system preferred Top Layer’s infrastructure, AppSwitch, has just been taken up by Internet services giant, GlobalCenter for their international networks. It uses ASIC-based Layer 7 application architecture and comes with a few bells and whistles. Network security company Top Layer’s president Bruce Cohen, commented that, “the need for serious network security solutions is the one we hear and meet most frequently.” GlobalCenter’s Don Fulghum commented, “The increasing speed and complexity of the Internet demands that security solutions be multitiered, scalable and adaptable. No single device or system can offer complete protection from the threats that come both from within the organization and from external sources. Instead, they’ve all got to work together and add strength to strength. The AppSwitch helps all of our security and traffic management systems do what they’re designed to do at the peak of their respective capacities — routers, firewalls, intrusion detection systems and honeypots.” It will all have to work together efficiently in order to service GlobalCenter in 200 major cities across 27 countries.
Cyber crime can hit directors
Can you trust your bank?
According to Kelvin Lack of Insight Consulting, “cybercrime is now far easier to commit than ever before and the rewards are increasingly attractive.” Lack warns that “should cyber criminals pounce they are highly likely to avoid prosecution, yet there is a real risk that directors of the company could be prosecuted for failing to take the necessary action, making them liable to fines or imprisonment.” Such liability is also likely should your company become a host in a denial-ofservice attack. In this instance, the prosecution must prove that you have failed to implement appropriate security on your Web server. In order to help directors avoid the fall-out after a hack, Insight suggests the following: • Familiarise yourself with the appropriate legislation for liability: for example in the UK this is the Data Protection Act 1998 and corporate governance in the Turnball Guidance. • Adopt best practice: for example BS 7799. • Publicize your policy on cybercrime, use it as an evaluation criteria when selecting suppliers. • Ensure you have access to the appropriate skills needed for prevention and damage control. However, none of this is a substitute for good old-fashioned, well configured network security.
Recent surveys have revealed conflicting results regarding the perceived integrity of online banking. A survey commissioned by Europay International of 15 000 people from 15 European countries, has revealed that 68% of European online shoppers trust their bank to store their personal information safely. This statistic seems heartening. However, another report, from ICM Research, reveals that of 1001 UK adults, 69% think that online banking is ‘less safe’ than conventional banking. Compared with the same survey, conducted in June 2000, there has been a 22% loss of confidence. This indicates a worrying trend. When asked which activity they would be least likely to perform online, 56% said banking. Europay asked whether the consumers would be more likely to believe in the security of a website recommended to them as secure, by their bank. One quarter of Europeans said they would be more likely to shop at sites on secure lists published by their banks. Interestingly, in the more mature market of Scandinavia, this idea was very well received — 72% of Finns and 48% of Swedes would appreciate such lists. A massive 82% of ICM respondents called for Government intervention in order to prevent fraud on the Internet in general.
4
The disparity in results may be explained by the fact that the UK press have recently had a field day in publicising hacking attacks and teething problems with many of the major high street banks. This would explain the increased lack of trust there, against the backdrop of general European faith in not only the bank, but in its recommendations for security. Even so, the call for Government intervention may mean that consumers are focusing on security and feel that they should be able to trust Internet transactions, in particular, banking.
PRODUCT NEWS
Biometric screensaver for notebook Sony has teamed up with authentication company Keyware to include a biometric screensaver on its CMR-PC1 USB notebook camera kit. It will work by the user looking into their Webcam and saying an agreed password. The system will then authenticate the user’s voice and facial features. Each machine can be configured to allow multiple pre-defined users to access a notebook. Using biometrics in this way is an effective form of security and is likely to prove more reliable than the use of a PIN or password. Analysts predict that Webcam’s will continue to be a growth area because uses are increasing as the technology develops. There are now
applications for Webcams as security devices in video conferencing, network security ands remote surveillance. For further information on the Webcam see www.sonyeurope.com.
Layered system preferred Top Layer’s infrastructure, AppSwitch, has just been taken up by Internet services giant, GlobalCenter for their international networks. It uses ASIC-based Layer 7 application architecture and comes with a few bells and whistles. Network security company Top Layer’s president Bruce Cohen, commented that, “the need for serious network security solutions is the one we hear and meet most frequently.” GlobalCenter’s Don Fulghum commented, “The increasing speed and complexity of the Internet demands that security solutions be multitiered, scalable and adaptable. No single device or system can offer complete protection from the threats that come both from within the organization and from external sources. Instead, they’ve all got to work together and add strength to strength. The AppSwitch helps all of our security and traffic management systems do what they’re designed to do at the peak of their respective capacities — routers, firewalls, intrusion detection systems and honeypots.” It will all have to work together efficiently in order to service GlobalCenter in 200 major cities across 27 countries.