The Hack Attack Is Back

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

I’ve have been working in the computer industry since 1981, and clearly remember the very first computer virus that appeared soon after the personal computer age began. Mind you, this pre-dates the beginning of the Internet by 12 or so years. Computer viruses and hacking are nothing new. However, our dependency on a worldwide network to conduct business, (the internet) and the pervasiveness and frequency of massive hack attacks is new. So, if you want to learn who the hackers are, who's being hacked, and most importantly, how to protect yourself and your financial assets from these criminals, then read on and learn the answers to these and other questions in this week’s Working the Web to Win article, "The Hack Attack is Back.”

Chinese Hack Attack!

English: Air Force Flag of the People's Republic of China (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Carl Weiss

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the Internet, a news story breaks about how foreign governments are now hacking us companies, even going after their employee's computers.  This time it wasn’t inspired by teenage pranksters on the prowl.  Nor was it the Russian mob trying to break into financial institutions once again.  No, this time the culprits were state-sponsored hackers who wore military uniforms and lived in military barracks.  What I’m talking about is the latest hack attack by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, which came to light to the nation at large on Monday, March 11, when Tom Donilon, President Obama’s national security adviser stated in a speech in New York City: 

“Increasingly, U.S. businesses are speaking out about their serious concerns about sophisticated, targeted theft of confidential business information and proprietary technologies through cyberintrusions emanating from China on an unprecedented scale. The international community cannot tolerate such activity from any country.” (Click here to read the slate.com blog.)