While many declined our requests for an interview, several spoke with us only on the condition of anonymity. Either way, it would immediately set us up as a target and a challenge for hackers or attacks. Experts say this conspiracy of silence only aids those responsible for digital security breaches. Talking about it internally and sharing information externally with other IT executives and law enforcement authorities will help everyone better understand security threats and improve prevention efforts. The fear of attack is real and valid.
Every day there are new reports of security breaches.
These are just some of the publicly acknowledged attacks, say computer security professionals. Only a handful of the companies that have had breached security or compromised data ever report it to law enforcement officials, say the FBI and security consultants. That is one possible explanation why only 26 percent of CIOs and IT executives said their company had ever been hacked, according to a survey at the CIO-100 conference last August. Sixty-two percent said their company has never been victimized by external computer crime, and 11 percent were unsure. Unsure is the key word.