We live in the information age. All of our information is out there on various servers and archives. Social security numbers, credit card numbers, home addresses and phone numbers are all sought after targets for identity thieves. Our network and servers contains all of that information not only for our clients, but our employees as well. The old adage “knowledge is power” has never been more true than it is today. If we don’t take measures to properly safeguard our company’s information, it would only be a matter of time before our servers become compromised. Additionally, given our financial interests in the Middle East, there are a number of groups who would simply seek to crash our servers just for the fun of it. Hackers will continually search for weaknesses in our system, it’s what they do. It’s like a horde of zombies tirelessly attacking our small fort, one small crack in the wall is all it takes. One zombie gets in, then starts biting and infecting everything inside the fort, compromising the security of all, much like a virus. Not taking security seriously or doing the bare minimum attracts an attack like blood in the water attracts sharks. Like sharks, hackers will seek out the slow swimmers, the weak link. It’s true that if an elite hacker sets his mind to it, almost any system can be hacked in some way or another(see the Mission: Impossible series). That however is a rare scenario, as most hackers will seek the path of least resistance. It is of paramount importance that we offer all the resistance we can. There are a number of defenses against hackers, port security, intrusion detection software, etc. Aside from hackers around the world, one of the greatest threats to our security is the human factor. Employees who leave their work stations unattended are a common problem. People can leave vital information unlocked and exposed when they step away from their desk for a bathroom or smoke break, which can allow anyone walking by easy access to information. A prime example are people posing as low level personnel who people generally actively avoid acknowledging, such as
