Protecting the P&C Industry’s Intellectual Assets
altered, but in every other way, including
the serial number, the coating appears to be
your brand. You’ve been hacked all up and
down the place. Trade secrets, like formulations, know-how, branding, internal codes,
employee and customer information, business strategies and other sensitive infor-mation… all compromised. And out there
somewhere, there’s a website that looks exactly like yours; a parallel universe where
your customers are being directed to purchase what appears to be your goods, but
they aren’t. And they aren’t good.
It can’t be that easy, can it? In researching
for this article, I did a quick Google search.
Wikihow popped up first with “How to
Hack a Computer” and there it was, step-by-step instructions for getting past a password,
getting remote access to a computer and
cracking a WIFI password. Yep, that easy.
Of course, firewalls and anti-virus
programs provide some barriers to entry.
But unknowingly, unwittingly, you can
take a voluntary action that subjects you
to attack. How many times have you
popped that custom-designed USB thumb
drive into your lapotop after a meeting or
trade show? Or provided your USB key to
someone to upload a presentation? When
you get it back, it might contain a little extra gift...a piece of malicious code, or malware that when plugged back into your
computer causes an execution of the infection. Now your networks are exposed, and
you are naked before the hackers.
Or it may happen with an e-mail you receive. Recently, I was
in the heat of contract negotiations
when I received an e-mail from the
other attorney that he wanted me
to view a Google document using
Google Docs. We had been trading documents back and forth so
there was really nothing suspicious about it at first. The e-mail
sent me to a “Google” site which
requested my Google password.
When I pushed “enter” I had second thoughts. Indeed, I should
have checked with the attorney,
because he had been hacked. This
is referred to as “spear phishing.”
It happens when one party tries
to get access to another’s login information by masquerading as a
legitimate contact. It can also happen, for example, in the form of a
customer inquiry sent to your sales
department. Once your employee
clicks on the link or downloads
the attachment, a vulnerability in
the system, such as a word processor or browser will be exploited,
allowing the malware to begin executing on the machine and give
the hacker access and control over
your system. Sometimes, hackers
will target a particular website,
What are some practical measures that
can be taken to prevent hacking? There are
many high security tactics to take, however,
not all businesses have the financial wherewithal to install the most sophisticated security systems throughout their systems.
But it’s wise to spend some time identifying
and compartmentalizing and providing vi-giliant security measures around your most
sensitive information. In all cases, though,
prudent businesses should do the following.
1. Perform software and browser updates whenever they are released,
and check regularly to make sure
none have been missed.
2. Install firewalls and anti-virus programs and keep them updated.
3. Install anti-spyware/ adware. Often
overlooked as merely a nuisance, this
malware can slow down your computer by placing ads on your browser
and pop-ups on your programs. The
slowdown can result in vulnerabilities
in your system allowing a hacker to
get through. Your system information
could also be sold to others by the spy-ware intruder for malicious purposes.
4. Never click on suspicious or unknown e-mail links. Don’t believe
that it’s ok because it looks legit.
You’re just one click away from a
virus. Think before you click. And
delete suspicious or unknown e-mails from your system.
5. Have separate passwords for all
your accounts and divisions. Make
them tough and use a password
manager. These programs will create and store passwords for you.
6. Use two-step verification for social networking sites. A two-step verification
requires that you enter a password,
and then a verification code is texted
to you before allowing you entry.
7. And of course, don’t send e-mails
or do banking business over public networks.
Whatever you do, take measures
to lock up your sensitive information.
Cyber hackers are just thieves, looking
for an easy entry point. You lock your
doors at night; lock your cyber valuables
as well. With proper security, that hacker
will likely move on to some unsuspecting victim. And then maybe you won’t
find out the hard way about that condo
in Singapore you bought that you will
never see. CW
