Concerns Deepen for Cyber Security, Poll Indicates

 

Nearly three of four companies believe they are the focus of computer hackers, according to a recent poll.

Of 244 attendees of the RSA Conference in San Francisco, 73 percent answered inquiries about whether their company is a potential target of aggressive computer hackers, more colloquially known as "hacktivists," according to Tech Journal. Seventy-one percent cited organized cyber crime as a threat about which they are aware.

"Unlike cyber crime, there is no such thing as a small, private breach for hacktivists unless it is part of a larger attack plan," chief technology officer Tim 'TK' Keanini with nCircle told the news source. "Hacktivist breaches are designed for media value and public impact, so they are always fully disclosed and the targets are selected for maximum shock value. On the other hand, every business with an Internet connection is a potential target for organized cyber crime."

The news comes after this week's arrest of aggressive hackers in New York, according to the New York Times. Their targets had been corporations and governments and the attacks typically were executed for political purposes.

Jobs for individuals to confront cyber crimes at the government level typically require top secret security clearance.

Keanini also noted that hacktivists have done their part to raise awareness of the practice of hacking and concerns for cyber security.