Has Your Business Been Hacked?

Has Your Business Been Hacked?
Please Partner With Us.

02/09/05

On February 9, Steve Martinez, head of our Cyber Division, addressed the Third Annual Cyber Security Alliance Summit in Tampa, Florida.

Who was there? Law enforcement officers; executives from business, banks, and brokerage firms; and university professors—all engaged in one of today's most burning issues: "Securing the Cyber Infrastructure," the theme of the conference.

What was Steve's primary message? "We need your help!" And by that he means help from all levels of U.S. and international law enforcement...help from the brilliant techie minds and ideas of private industry and university research...and, above all, help from victimized businesses—specifically, reports of attacks on their computer systems.

Why "above all" from victimized companies? Because we need a more comprehensive intelligence base of all the tools and techniques hackers are using to attack the cyber infrastructure. If we don't have that information—and we estimate we get reports on only about a third of all intrusions into business computer systems—we can't be predictive. We can't be proactive. We can't parse out criminal signatures, much less chase down the criminals who are cheerfully hacking credit card or trade secret information from one company then moving to the next when their breach is discovered and closed. Bottom line: your combined reports to us will help protect you and your never-quite-invulnerable systems from insidiously clever criminal hackers.

In Steve's words, "So the successful future of cyber cases lies not in merely protecting your own systems. If there are criminals out there who are going to continue hitting company after company, it is essential that we go after them aggressively. The sanction, and the most effective deterrent, has to be putting these criminals in jail. Now and in the future we need your cooperation as victim companies to help provide us with the intelligence and evidence that will enable us to do just that."

How to make a report? File a complaint online at the Internet Crime Complaint Center...or contact your local field office. And don't worry: our agents have been closely trained to be discreet, to protect your public image and your intellectual property, and to not disrupt your operations.

How can you become our partner? Join a local InfraGard Chapter—part of a national organization that's dedicated to protecting your computer systems and everyone else's. As a member, and at no cost to you or your business, you'll have access to special training; to DHS/FBI threat alerts, advisories, and warnings; to cyber professionals; and to other businesses that are dealing with your same issues.

Want to know more about the big picture of current and future threats to cyber security? We encourage you to read Steve's speech in its entirety.