The treat of online security: How safe is our data?

As time goes by, more and more business conduct relies on the internet to operate and conduct business. However, in 2007, the Computer Security Institute (CSI) reported that the average annual loss reported by US companies is more than doubled, from $168,000 in the report in 2006 to $350,424 in the survey of 2007.

Treats & attacks
There are many threats to e-commerce that may come from sources within an organization or individual. The followings are some of the potential security threats that can be found:

1. Phishing - an attempt to obtain sensitive information (eg.usernames, passwords & credit card details), by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
2. Virus - a program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes.
3. Trojan Horse - A destructive program that masquerades as a kind application. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not duplicate themselves
4. Worm - A program that duplicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions

Here’s some useful security tips to share^^

1. Turn on Windows' automatic-update function to get Microsoft's regular security patches.

2. Don't give away any personal information on social networking Web sites (eg. MySpace or Facebook profile).

3. Use one of the many antivirus, antispyware, and firewall programs on the market.

Reference:

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/31171.html

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2007/tc2007119_234494.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/012006-fbi-security.html