Such has been the history of computer viruses, which grew along with the use of computers in the workplace and home and expanded further with the explosion of e-mail. At every step, the ingenuity of the hacker was aimed at fooling, evading or overcoming security measures. The Internet has opened new vistas for research, communication and commerce, but with the convenience and access come new risks. Information can be lost, stolen or corrupted. According to a group that monitors and responds to virus attacks, information stored on insecure, networked computers is more vulnerable than the same information printed on paper and locked in a file cabinet.
Intruders wishing to tamper with the file cabinet have to be physically present.
But electronic intruders don t have to be in the same country. Through the Internet, they can invade a computer network and hide evidence of their presence. Companies must learn to protect their electronic assets with the same diligence as their physical assets. Data recorded by a federally funded center of Internet security expertise show that no business sector is immune from attacks from viruses and related malicious codes like worms and Trojan horses. With so much at stake, the proactive company will keep up with the latest in virus fighting tools.