Week Three Individual Assignment: Internet Security
Mark Nolte
University of Phoenix
Week Three Individual Assignment: Internet Security
The Internet has opened up the door for countless small to midsized businesses (SMBs) to do business with minimal startup costs. The Internet also opened up another door, cyber-crime. SMBs tend to rely on the Internet to conduct business daily, and this places them in a precarious position. A survey conducted in 2005 of SMBs in North America, United Kingdom, France, and Germany showed that “91% have a worldwide website” and “84% of SMBs also have and actively use their own websites” (TechTarget, 2005, p. 3).
“Nearly half of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the US do not have the means to monitor or filter Internet traffic and employees’ online activity, according to new research undertaken by GFI Software, indicating that they are not only lagging their peers but also underestimating the risks” (GFI, 2009, para. 1).
Internet security is a major problem for SMBs. It is imperative that the ramifications and effects the Internet has placed on security be understood. IT security risks SMBs face using the Internet to conduct business or allowing employees to access the Internet at work need understanding. Ramifications of these risks and what security measures can be put into place to help secure these risks are vital to the survival of the SMBs.
IT Security Risks
Security risks pose a direct threat to SMBs. The National Cyber-Security Alliance whose partners include; Homeland Security, the FBI, Microsoft, CA, Symantec, McAfee, AOL, RSA, Small Business Administration, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology have outlined the top five threats facing SMBs on the Internet:
1. Malicious Code
2. Stolen/Lost Laptop or Mobile Device
3. Spear Phishing
4. Unsecured Wireless Internet Networks
5. Insider/Disgruntled Employee Theft (Teixeira, 2007, para. 9)
GFI conducted a survey in...