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CHAPTER 4
Mitigating Risk When Connecting to the Internet

IN JUST A FEW YEARS the internet and the use of online resources have become an integral part of daily life for almost everyone, it seems. Many businesses are so dependent on the internet that they would actually cease to exist without it. In addition to business, individual users rely on the internet as an essential communication, information, and educational tool. For many people, it would be hard to imagine life without online access at their fingertips.

Dependence on the internet and its services, however, does leave people somewhat vulnerable. The internet is an insecure public network. While the majority of people use the internet each day for legitimate purposes, a significant few use it every day for cybercrime, bullying, cyberstalking, data theft, and other nefarious activities. Some of these malicious users are random groups of opportunists looking to take advantage of any weakness on a small scale, while others are massive, coordinated collectives looking to perpetrate significant crippling security attacks against large organizations and even countries. Expanding use of the internet also means that online crime is growing in scope and complexity. Those using the internet—and that is just about everyone—must take steps to mitigate the risks.

This chapter explores the risks and threats that are lurking on the internet and the policies and procedures you can use to prevent harm to your systems and the ways that you can mitigate these risks.