by Scott Smith
A few people have asked me to comment about the cyber-attack on Sony. First, I would like to clarify the magnitude of the event. Many people don’t “get” what has happened. The attack on Sony was very sophisticated. It was coordinated, intentionally planned and is believed to have been sponsored by the government of North Korea according to the FBI.
Let this idea sink in for a minute – the idea of a foreign government planning, sponsoring hackers to develop malware, and attacking a company here in California. This is serious and scary stuff. It is easy to think that it won’t happen to you.
How do you protect your business in general? Here is a three part strategy:
- Perimeter Protection – More than a firewall, this means taking IT security seriously through layered protective measures and using the best integrated security software and procedures possible for your company. The best defense is keeping virus and malware out of your IT system in the first place.
- Disaster Back-Up Recovery Plan – Even if a malware attack did hit your company like it did to Sony, or a major earthquake destroys your building, do you have a properly planned and executable back-up and recovery plan? Having an in-depth, executable back-up and recovery plan can mean the difference of your business being up and running in hours instead of weeks.
- Hire a Reputable IT Support Firm – There are many moving parts to the first two strategies listed above, well beyond buying software products. Seek help from qualified IT Services firms to help protect your business. To help business owners find good reputable IT help here are several free resources;
- For a quick look of criteria to look for and what to avoid, when hiring a reputable IT Services firm, please down load the free report “21 Revealing Questions You Should Ask Any Computer Consultant Before Giving Them Access to Your Company Network” at our website, .
- For an insider’s guide to IT Services, Jarom Renfeldt has written the book “Business IT 101: The Business Owner’s Guide to Hassle-Free Computer Support”. We will give this book away free. To get a copy or to download a sample of the book, please go to .
What happened to Sony is believed to be the first attack from a foreign government to a US company. However, the government of Iran is reported to have attacked a company in Saudi Arabia. This new era of cyber-warfare should serve as a wake-up call or warning to business owners everywhere of the need to increase their security.