Virus and Hacker Attacks Increase
By: Sandy Berger Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2003-02-11 13:43:11
Virus & Hacker Attacks Increase
By Sandy Berger
Here's some sobering news for businesses and home computer users. A new report shows that virus and hack attacks on computers increased dramatically in 2002.
The number of computer vulnerabilities rose sharply last year, escalating more than 80 percent. A new Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec, the world leader in Internet security, reveals that companies in the power and energy industries, as well as non-profits and financial service institutions, had the highest rate of cyber attacks in 2002. According to Amit Yoran from Symantec, Instant Messenger and popular file sharing applications pose the next big security threat.
The study also finds that the United States is the number one source of attacks worldwide, closely followed by South Korea. “Attacks from South Korea increased by 62% over the past six months, establishing this country as the second largest overall source of attacks and the highest source of attacks per 10,000 Internet users among Tier One Countries. One factor driving this trend may be South Korea’s rapidly growing consumer broadband infrastructure. As broadband becomes more accessible in other nations, their exposure to and participation in malicious activity may also rise…”
With cyber crimes so prevalent in the United States and abroad, cyber security should be increased in every home and office to better protect against digital attacks.
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