This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text, while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools. Send mail to mimeat_private for more info. --------------E57A38889ED11870C62B990E Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Content-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990202135645.9503Nat_private> http://www.zdnet.com/filters/printerfriendly/0,6061,2197569-2,00.html Hackers are out in full force By Stephanie Neil, PC Week Online February 1, 1999 6:33 AM PT If you haven't taken steps to defend your corporate network against cracker attacks, you'd better start. These criminal types who want your company's data are everywhere. In fact, there's a good possibility that attempts to hack into your computer systems have already been made. According to Pilot Network Services, an Internet service provider that specializes in securing corporate clients against such attacks, there has been a steady rise of questionable activity since 1995, when the company was formed. Last year, Pilot denied about 30 million packets per month from hackers attempting to enter its customers' systems. That number will increase over the next few years as more companies move toward e-commerce sites that open the door to outsiders. What could a hacker possibly want from your company? Well, according to Marketta Silvera, president and CEO of Pilot, they'll go after a financial database, pricing strategies or a list of customer contacts. "Financial espionage is growing because of e-commerce," Silvera said. And the hackers are getting more sophisticated. (You think a firewall is going to do the trick and keep the bad guys out? Think again.) That's where Pilot comes in, with a defensive network infrastructure based on its own security utility. It isolates all traffic before it reaches the client network, then separates the packets for filtering and analysis. If it finds an anomaly, entry into the network is denied. Busted But Pilot offers more than just a tool. This is a service, and probably one of the best value-added ISP services I've heard of yet. Pilot's technology is sophisticated enough to pinpoint where the attack originated. Silvera calls her company the "CIA of online services," and she told how members of the Pilot team were able to call a hacker on the phone while he was attempting to break into a Pilot customer site. (In this case, the guy was fishing around for information on the company in preparation for a job interview there the next day. Needless to say, he didn't get the job.) But the point is this: Hacking is no longer child's play. Forget about those stories of wanna-be teen hackers gaining access to their school records or trying to break into a government system as a prank. No more. This is serious white collar crime now, which means the professionals are going at it--stealing from you. This year, you need to start thinking about practicing a little self-defense. --------------E57A38889ED11870C62B990E-- -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Internet Security Institute [www.isi-sec.com]
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