Hackers and thieves a growing Web menace Technology lag leaves systems vulnerable
By Hiawatha Bray Globe Staff / June 11, 2011
On the Internet, there's nowhere left to hide.
Around the world, computer networks are getting more vulnerable even as they grow more sophisticated. They are being penetrated and looted by digital intruders.
The personal records of 100 million people were stolen in an attack on Sony Corp.'s video game networks. Up to 210,000 unemployed Massachusetts residents were put at risk by data theft software that infected computers at the state's Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. And in March, criminals stole vital information from Bedford data protection company RSA Security, a division of Hopkinton storage giant EMC Corp. The stolen RSA data was later used in a hacker raid on defense contractor Lock heed Martin Corp., an RSA client.
The list of data breaches grows almost daily, and while consumers and businesses can take steps to reduce the risk of losing sensitive information, security analysts say that making our computer networks truly secure is virtually impossible.
...