Forbes: Better Safe Than Hacked
Image source: MSNBC.comMaureen Ferrell writes on Forbes.com:
While all computers are susceptible to attack, a database plump with credit card numbers invites the most shenanigans. Indeed, online retailers face threats on all sides--from the hackers who try to steal those numbers to the fraudsters who buy and resell merchandise with "hot" credit cards.More here.
The average rate of fraud online is around 1%. That may sound small, but it's a massive figure relative to the .05% to .07% fraud rate at brick-and-mortar retailers, estimates Avivah Litan, senior analyst for Gartner, a Connecticut-based technology consulting firm.
"When you start out with a mom-and-pop trusting approach, you have to get real hardened real fast," says James Pappas, e-commerce manager for Lafayette, Ind.-based JL Hufford Coffee and Tea Company, which sells everything from coffee beans to several-thousand-dollar espresso machines.
Even if you're ready to play hardball, warding off hackers is expensive. Securing a small business' computer systems--which might involve all sorts of gorpy stuff like firewalls, application Web network scanners, access controls and database encryption--can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, says Litan. Then there are the ongoing costs of maintaining those systems.
posted by Fergie @ 10/31/2006 07:17:00 PM
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