Over the past year, there has been a 65 percent increase in security threats to information systems. In the past two years, the number of internal network intrusions has almost quadrupled. Despite these astonishing statistics, the Fifth Annual Information Security Survey by Ernst & Young found that only 64 percent of respondents monitor networks for security incidents and an equal number have no response plan for security breaches.

The reality is that any small business with a broadband connection to the Internet risks becoming a victim of a cyber crime. Skilled computer hackers are intent on breaking into private computer networks. These attackers can infect systems with viruses or gain access to sensitive files that could include financial information and confidential customer records. Many hackers can penetrate networks and use them as a launch pad for sending junk e-mails to disrupt or overload other networks. Ultimately, such attacks can crash a network, potentially causing data to be permanently deleted or irreparably damaging computer equipment or systems.

By Nick Brookins at Computer User.

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