As the recent “worm” attack that affected around a quarter of a million computers worldwide demonstrated, the Internet is becoming increasingly dangerous for organizations that want to protect their digital assets, say regional Information Technology (IT) security authorities.
Some 90 percent of companies worldwide have experienced a virus problem and 61 percent have experienced an attempted external attack over the last year, according IDC Research. As a result, many firms are now looking for ways to out-maneuver potential hackers.
A growing army of hackers and virus writers are looking for any gaps in a company’s IT protection, and modern security experts have to be progressively more imaginative to prevent outside agents gaining access and disrupting internal systems.
“Ethical hacking”—where a team of external experts simulates an attack on a company’s network—has become an increasingly popular option for companies in the Middle East to ensure the integrity of their organizations’ systems.
“As the number of hackers and virus writers around the world has risen, so too has the need for ‘ethical hackers.’ These professionals work as hard as the hackers to discover gaps in code and highlight any vulnerable network devices that could create security problems for a company,” said Daniel Nufer, regional sales director for ComGuard, a Middle East-based IT security consultancy.
Demand for ethical hacking services has risen in the Middle East in recent months, as business leaders realize that the global threat of hacking could pose a major threat to their company. “Incidents like the Worm virus and high-profile hacking cases in Europe and Asia demonstrate that these problems don’t respect national boundaries,” said Nufer.
ComGuard is one of the pioneers of an ethical hacking approach in the Middle East, with its three-step penetration test methodology. Its experts approach an organization’s IT security system from multiple angles, including full range port scans, IP stack fingerprinting and vulnerable services analysis. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
