Although all provinces have individually devised some form of electronic protection, and a national network of hacker trackers was set up a year ago, Canada must speed up and standardize these efforts if it is to reduce threats posed by computer intruders, Mr. Kelly said. Our critical infrastructure is spread out across the country and we need a co-ordinated effort across the provinces and the private sector to deal with computer security. According to industry estimates, computer intrusion attempts are tripling annually, and hacking activity is becoming more destructive. Hackers themselves say it is exceptionally easy to break into Internet service providers and Web sites. Mr. Davis, convicted last May of offences related to illegally obtained passwords he used to gain free Internet access, now hacks for a living, legally, for Thunderline Internet Solutions, a company that tests systems, networks or Web sites to see how hackable they are.
Most companies are just sloppy when they set up their Web sites.
They don't take the time to become aware of how their systems function. Hacking can include anything from splashing graffiti on a Web site, to spreading a destructive virus, to theft of valuable data. There is usually no specific target. It's like a bunch of kids going down the street rattling doorknobs until they find a door that's open. Offered as a free public service, CanCERT investigates computer security breaches by locating and stopping intruders and recording the incident.