The computer security industry in many ways is ineffective in fighting cyber crime. Now why would I say that? As a consultant let me ask you a question - Where are computer and network threats like viruses, malware, scareware and other threats born? You will have the answer before the end of this article.
Web-borne threats can invade your PC from a network, like yours. Wired or wireless we are all connected globally now. An infected email can reach your inbox from anywhere on this planet in mere seconds. Sent from a major city or let's say any of the 2000 plus islands in Micronesia, it makes no difference anymore. Many ask this question constantly - Why do we have computer viruses? For an easy question here is an easy and plausible answer - A strategy called "permissionless innovation".
The big deal is businesses rely too much on anti-virus software to keep their computers protected. This strategy is only as good as the second it is available before a new computer virus is discovered. 1000s of new threats and strains of existing ones landed on the Internet since you started reading this article. Yes, your anti-threat applications will slow down invasions, but the computer security industry is selling a sense of security that is only as good as its weakest point.
McAfee, Symantec and other security software vendors market their wares to entice us to buy in to a subscription based business practice that only provides a limited amount of protection. This is a "baby aspirin" approach to dealing with a catastrophic illness. You are paying for the cyber warfare experience. The strategy to let the end-point (PC) and servers be ground zero for computer security defense shows how McAfee, Symantec (Norton) and others generate billions of dollars in subscription revenues. Their offerings are weak and addictive pain pills for computers.
To FIGHT CYBER CRIME AND WIN an occasional battle you have to fight cyber crime where it begins - off of your network. Does it make sense to wait for the threat to find you first? Network and Security Administrators must use a layered approach to minimize attacks. Hosted Exchange a SaaS platform, can reduce computer and network security administration overhead.
As promised, where are computer and network threats born? On computers like yours. Running Windows, Linux or other operating system, like yours.
Before we can stamp out cyber crime and end threats, the following questions are a few factors to consider for ending an on-demand war. What do you think?
Are you a business manager or owner that renews anti-virus software subscriptions annually?
Being that the Internet is global and virtual, is it worth time and public money for governments to police the Internet?
How would you feel if government was the only source for domain name, email and web hosting?
Can private sector business lead, monitor, innovate and police Web activities better?
For better cyber security do we redesign current systems and threat management tactics or redesign humans?
Where do you think the core of cyber security problems lie?
What is on your mind about cyber crime? Visit my blog and tell me more about what you think!
About the Author - Keith Nunnery: 24 years in Business - IT; President/CEO of an IT Consulting business in Las Vegas, NV and Charlotte, NC
