 |
 Twenty years is a short time in the history of the world but within that time information technology development has taken huge steps. Who would have thought 20 years ago that it would be possible to connect to a corporate network from home, the summer cottage, or a sailboat? Traditional work using only the local network is history. The fast pace of modern business demands decisions and replies to queries immediately, regardless of time and place. Information is found on the Internet, and a cell phone can be used for taking photographs and receiving news. Car parking and bus tickets can be paid by mobile phones. A laptop has become a basic tool, and new handheld and palm devices are a part of the IT equipment store. Business is increasingly dependent on information technology.
This development has greatly influenced information security as well. Risto Siilasmaa, President and CEO of F-Secure, describes the revolution: "The Internet and its consequences have changed the need for information security drastically. The equipment environment has become more complex alongside new technologies, new operating systems, wireless devices and connections and there is more information technology from more equipment manufacturers and more versions of equipment than 10 to 15 years ago. Managing information security inside a company is increasingly varied and challenging. More and more homes have computers. There are free tools on the Internet for virus writing and hacking, which increases the number of potential attackers."
Schools already offer computer education, in many cases very early on. Today's youth accept information technology as a part of their normal activities. The difference in know-how between the generations is enormous. Always-on
broadband data links are installed in new buildings as a
matter of course. Youngsters spend a large part of their free time in front of a computer, communicating through the Internet, and the Internet is used at home for anything from paying bills to travel reservations and data searching. Information security must be a part of the normal home infrastructure. The front door of every home has a lock, which should always be locked. In many new apartment buildings the broadband data link charges can
be paid for just as you would for electricity or water.
How soon will all the technology in a home be managed by one central control system; ovens, refrigerators, doors, locks, lights and so on? Technological development is accelerating and its pace in the future is just imaginary at this stage. Risto Siilasmaa outlines the future, "In a nutshell, it is clear that there is no return to the past, centralized, static, easy and simple environment, the future is distributed, mobile, wireless and difficult to manage."
We are increasingly becoming dependent on technology to run our business as well as our private lives, and our lives are disrupted when the network is down or our computer doesn't work. In this issue we concentrate on security issues in relation to technological development, such as viruses and other malicious code, and we describe how you can protect yourself against these threats.
Jaana Sirkiä, Communications Manager
|
|
|
|
|
The threat of the Linux Slapper worm has been nullified by proactive antivirus work by specialists at F-Secure. In what is believed to be the first action of its kind by an antivirus company, F-Secure was able to identify exactly which Web servers were being infected as each infection happened, send a warning to the administrators of the infected systems, and distribute a free version of F-Secure Anti-Virus for Linux to remove the worm from their systems
Fighting computer viruses has become a familiar task for network administrators and many home users. Several reports have shown that more than 90% of business users encounter viruses in their work. The damage caused by viruses can be significant.
Viruses are never created by accident, they are always written by someone. But who is that someone, and why does he or she want to write a virus?
F-Secure Corporation's virus protection capability is built around the Anti-Virus Research Team. This group of people is in charge of all the virus samples sent to F-Secure.
Imagine, one day, when you are about to sign a very important business deal you arrive at the office feeling confident. Thanks to this day, not only your revenue, but also your reputation as a serious money making company will rise to a level that you didnt dare to say aloud a year ago. Looking good, indeed.
Information technology is the backbone of retail shop chains also. A few years ago, receipts were written manually at the checkout counters of stores while today the cash systems are based on PCs and directly connected to larger computer systems. Tommi Räsänen, data security specialist at Kesko, describes the situation as follows: "Absolute pre-conditions for trading are well-functioning logistics and cash operations. At worst, a virus could paralyze the entire retail chain from warehouses to goods transport and cash registers. Milk would stay at the dairy. You can easily imagine the amount of losses, if a large supermarket was forced to close its doors for a couple of hours. This is why we have an antivirus program on each cash register itself or on the server to which the cash register is connected."
|
|
|
