The state of Cybersecurity could have a negative impact on the economy if we do not act now.
Just the other day we talked about the battle of cybercrime getting out of control. We also mentioned that Cybercrime is like today's economy, if we do nothing now then we could be setting ourselves up for even greater disasters. Now let's talk about that statement and how it really relates to the economy.
Security researchers believe that cybercrooks would eventually worsen the economy even further. So what we are facing is an actual reality of cybercrime causing a much worse economy. You may ask the question: "How can this economy get any worse"? It is simple actually, more layoffs, more businesses closing and desperate people trying to make a living any way they can. That means hackers are in the mix too. Hackers will resort to attacking more and more systems over the internet and stealing money through cyberspace under our noses.
McAfee, a security firm, has reported that they fear economic woes are distracting leaders and preventing them from putting enough resources for cybersecurity. Dave DeWalt, McAfee's CEO, said, "Cybercriminals are exploiting the global recession by luring susceptible victims through the promise of easy money," We have all seen the news on the latest bailouts and stock market woes and this has drawn the most attention while hackers are enjoying everyone's eyes being off of them. It seems they are not on the forefront of anyone's list, such as in government, to combat cybersecurity and the latest known threats that plague many of us.
What do we do NOW?
DeWalt also had to add, "Governments need to commit to funding the resources needed to combat cybercrime, streamline law enforcement efforts and coordinate police actions across national borders..." "Everyone must play their part in a global battle that has only just begun and will continue long into 2009 and beyond if not properly addressed." Playing our part in the cybersecurity field NOW is very important if we plan on rebuilding the state of our economy.
Not to our surprise do we see this type of plea come from a large security firm such as McAfee. At this point someone needs to step-up and say something about cybercrime issues or nothing will get done. Now is the time to address the issues just like they are addressing the failing economy issues at hand.
What should be done? Should the government step in and appoint more law enforcement officials to attack cybercrime head-on? What do you suggest? Express your opinion and comment below!