Network Attack

Technology attackers are very sophisticated and they are continuously discovering new ways in which to attack networks. Their aim is to get access to important information that will enable them steal millions of dollars or trade secrets to sell to competitors. Today the focus of attackers is on data theft and fraud. Top on the target list of these attackers is home users. This is because most people do not see the need to put up security measures. The main reason is because installing security measures is expensive. Most people do not see the likelihood of hackers to target them. According to their perception, they do not have a lot of wealth or important data to make them potential victims of hackers (Joe, 2011).

Hackers also target companies and institutions because they harbor a lot of data. Attacks on companies lead to financial and operational losses. The total loss suffered by the affected company, in most cases, cannot be accurately determined. Surveys carried out by the Computer Security Institute reach the conclusion that most companies and institutions do not have proper plans on how to report or respond to cyber attacks (Joe, 2011).

Computer crime is categorized into three types by the Department of Justice. The three categories include using the computer to commit crimes such as credit card fraud; using the computer to attack other computers through passing of viruses; and using the computer to store stolen data (Joe, 2011). Some of the offences committed through cyber crime include damage to data and programs; computer espionage; unwarranted access; interception of data without authorization; and sabotage on the operations of a network.

Small and medium sized businesses are more prone to cyber attacks compared to large companies. This is because the former do not put in place high IT security measures compared to the latter. This is a perception by most cyber attackers and they therefore, find it easier to attack smaller companies (Joe, 2011). One of the ways that the cyber criminals use is the installation of malware which is software that silently reads and uses the user ids and passwords. The hacker gains