Paul Martin's Business Update - April 21st, 2014
Paul Martin's Business Update - April 21st, 2014
Attacks against computer security are, unfortunately, becoming an increasingly frequent event and are getting too little attention.
The latest Canadian episode, taking the Canada Revenue Agency’s primary computer for filing returns off-line for the better part of a week, resulted in a 19-year-old computer whiz being arrested and charged with mischief and improper use of a computer.
Clearly the laws surrounding this type of activity are as badly in need of an overhaul as the security systems in major organizations. This is far worse than mischief – it should be treated as a terrorist act capable of undermining the fabric of the economy.
Not so long ago it was major department stores in the US that had their systems targeted, exposing customers’ personal information to hackers. Besides being a privacy invasion, it strikes to the heart of the modern commercial system. Much of our economy is based on credit which involves trust. And if the trust is broken fewer organizations will grant credit, fewer people will seek it and the wheels of commerce will slow or grind to a halt.
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