Helping Create Safe Communities & Neighbourhoods

It’s difficult enough securing our physical assets whether at home or at work but try locking down everything in cyberspace.  Protecting ourselves from “virtual” predators has become essential, just as important as making sure our door is locked before leaving our home or office.

The reality is cyber criminals are continuing to target us and if your radar is not picking up the fact that these crimes are on the rise, then you better lock down the hatches before it’s too late.  These criminals, many of them professionals are stealing “bits” & “bytes” (computer lingo for digital data ), not to be confused with the popular snacks.

Victims range from large corporations to those folks like you and I that may be at risk of identity theft.  It’s safe to say that many of us own and operate computers and they are certainly an essential part of every office environment. The Canadian Press has reported that these criminals are forming “pseudo corporations” and hiring people to compromise high-traffic, trusted websites, resulting in threats growing dramatically on the Internet in 2008, says a report from Symantec Inc.

Fortunately, there are security measures we can all take to reduce these threats, protect our information and our pocket books.  However, it’s up to you to take the first step in preventing losses associated with computer crime.  Getting informed should start by visiting the Centre for Securing Cyberspace and finding out more about how we can be successful in fighting the multilateral nature of cyber crime; locally, nationally and internationally.

Large corporations and all businesses need to consider their levels of risk and stay informed, diligent and most importantly proactive!  There are numerous groups that can help you stay on the cutting edge of security technology and protect your assets.  When you carefully examine the potential losses associated with an information breach, joining an organization such as the Security Professionals Information Exchange (SPIE) is a great investment of both time and money.  This also provides new opportunities for learning and networking. The upcoming TriLateral Security Conference would be a great start and will be held in Calgary, Alberta from June 16th – 18th, 2009  The theme this year is “Securing a Sustainable Society” and will highlight a dynamic range of guest speakers, those who are actively engaged in securing our cyber frontier.

Filed under Business Crime & Asset Protection, Education & Awareness, Portals for Discovery