Cyber crime is any illegal activity involving the use of computers or the Internet. It includes identity theft, software piracy and copyright infringement as well as credit card, bank fraud and bandwidth theft. Cyber crimes can be committed against individuals and organizations. Attacks may involve phishing scams designed to trick people into revealing passwords and other confidential information as well as malicious software hidden in harmless appearing email attachments. Hackers may attack corporations and other organizations as a form of social activism. They shut down websites or steal sensitive material for public dissemination. Cyber criminals often posses advanced programming skills.

Network security personnel must focus on preventing attacks as well as responding to any damage they cause. The installation of security measures, such as spam filters, encryption and authentication programs, and their diligent monitoring are critical to protecting a computer network. These efforts will help safeguard your sensitive and proprietary information as well as those of your customers and vendors stored on your network. It is important that your security measures be as up-to-date as possible, especially if you have a “bring your own device” program. It is essential that every device be fully integrated into your organization’s security procedures to prevent the accidental downloading of malicious software or breach of the company firewall.

Contact Windward of San Diego today for more information on how to secure your computer network.