An explosion risk to computer security

In 2011, an explosion of security issues and threats were found in all sectors and at all levels, from SMEs to the highest spheres of government. Within months, this discussion has invited specialists in the mainstream media, driven by business and community emblematic of hackers active and assertive, but also by a combination of novel risk factors.

According to Thierry Karsenti, CTO Europe at Check Point Software Technologies, three main sources of vulnerability can thus be identified within companies:

> The human factor: an individual makes a mistake or negligent (in trailing a USB stick containing sensitive data on his desk, forgetting files in a train or a taxi, etc..). It can also organize a deliberate leakage of information (through industrial espionage, the resale of sensitive information to competition, the media coverage of company secrets, etc..).

> The technology factor: fifty years ago, information theft was not as massive. Today, an extensive set of data may be distributed or recovered in minutes via the networks. The area of ​​vulnerability is particularly important that there is now a multitude of connected devices (smartphones, tablets, etc..), With different uses and runs on many operating systems. Moreover, the proliferation of applications increasingly mobile and dynamic, often downloaded or updated directly by the user, makes the security of these tools is difficult to control. Finally, the inadequacy or failure of information systems of the company may also be a source of risk.

> Timing: attacks for years 1990-2000 were intended primarily for technical achievements, most often used to immediate financial gain or to feed the ego of a hacker. Today they have evolved into much more targeted and also require more time. Thus, to avoid being spotted, intrusions are further apart. A new form of attack has also appeared under the name Advanced Persistent Threats to APT. This term is dissimulated behind the takeover of a sustainable remote machine by targeting an identified individual within the company. Once connected to his computer, the hacker gains access to the entire network. The attack becomes more sophisticated and the hacker will take the time to complete. Especially a security officer detect more easily a hundred intrusions spread over one year, rather than overnight.

The combination of these factors therefore results in less control of threats in the business and encourages new methods of attack more difficult to predict.