Ripe Targets for Online Extortion
Who, What, When, Where, Why & How for the most likely targets of online extortionists
By Scott Berinato
May 01, 2005 — CSO — Who: Companies that deal in cash transactions online.
What: Infrastructure that connects to the Internet and can be taken down remotely by hackers. The less secure your infrastructure, the more likely you'll be a target.
When: During an important time for marketing, investor relations (for example, a merger) or earning revenue. The more important the season is, the more likely you'll be a target.
Where: Often companies outside the United States, away from the FBI and strict anti-hacking laws. The looser the laws around computer crime in your area, the more likely you'll be a target.
Why: Online extortion is safer, easier and more profitable than other criminal enterprises.
How: Extortionists will launch a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack to knock a site offline, and then demand a protection fee of $10,000 to $100,000 in exchange for restoring your site.
-S.B.
Read more about data protection in CSOonline's Data Protection section.
Other stories by Scott Berinato
The challenge of true data protection spans databases, internal and external networks, physical and offsite storage, business partners and more. These resources offer expert perspective from the basics through specific key elements of data protection strategies.
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