The Great Uncertainty in the World Wide Web | IT Forensics and IT Security in Bremen

More and more frequently, one reads about hacked and later published private data of well-known personalities online, whether compromising photos or videos of an actress ("leaks") or the beginning of a new novel by a bestselling author (for example, the seventh Harry Potter novel circulated online days before its release). However, apart from stars and celebrities, hackers are increasingly transforming from a rather abstract threat affecting “others”, namely the rich and famous, into a very real danger for every individual. Consequently, the detectives, IT forensic experts and IT security staff of the Kurtz Detective Agency Bremen (+49 421 3679 9066) are also registering an increasing number of cases involving attacks on private individuals.

 

This development shows that not only the ever-increasing surveillance of people, data and technical devices by governments is causing unrest among the public, but also that hacker attacks on private individuals and companies are steadily increasing. In 2015, for example, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of Justice, Thomas Kutschaty, fell victim to a hacker who ordered a set of new car tyres in his name, leaving him comparatively fortunate. Much less harmless, however, are attacks on servers of government bodies, large companies or banks, particularly when their innovations and confidential internal information become vulnerable as a result. Although in most cases the culprit can be identified and prosecuted with the help of business detectives or IT forensic experts such as those of the Kurtz IT Service Bremen, reputational or economic damage may already have occurred and is often irreversible.

Small and Medium-Sized Companies – Popular Targets for Cyber Criminals

Apart from the seemingly most lucrative hacker targets, large corporations, small and medium-sized companies as well as individual employees frequently become victims of such data theft because they are unaware of the danger, whether due to naïve trust in the Internet or an underestimation of criminals’ interest in their own company. Markus Hannemann, Managing Director of the IT system house 4Brain GmbH in Oberhausen, even considers small and medium-sized enterprises to be the main targets of cyber criminals today.

 

For good reason, Prof. Dr Norbert Pohlmann of the Institute of Computer Science at the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences in Gelsenkirchen and the Institute for Internet Security reports that many companies still have major deficits in their protection against cybercrime and urgently require improvements. Sometimes this is due to the technology used, sometimes to easily cracked passwords, poorly programmed websites or insufficient employee training – circumstances that the IT forensic experts and IT security staff of the Kurtz IT Service Bremen frequently encounter during their work. A family friend may have installed the firewall incompletely, a secretary opens an email attachment sent by hackers, or the company lacks the technical know-how to protect patents electronically.

Those Who Prevent with IT Security Will Not Need IT Forensics Afterwards

The experts of our IT Forensics and IT Security Bremen department can hardly be consulted too early for an IT security consultation. As Patrick Franitza, Deputy Press Spokesman of secunet Security Networks in Essen, points out, many company managers still perceive IT security as an unnecessary type of insurance, following the motto: “It will not happen to me.” Yet in Germany alone, economic espionage causes annual damages of around 51 billion euros. This includes phishing emails of apparently secure origin that spy on company data via fake websites, attachments and email accounts, skimming – the extraction of credit card or bank information – and many other methods.

 

Today not only computers but also smartphones are threatened by hackers. By secretly installing a surveillance application on a targeted phone, the device simultaneously becomes a tracking device, a listening device and a communication spy. With the assistance of IT forensic experts and IT security specialists such as those at the Kurtz Detective Agency Bremen, such malicious software, viruses and Trojan horses can be detected, removed and often traced back to their sender. For this reason, a thorough – if not regular – examination of company PCs and smartphones is highly advisable.

Insufficient IT Security in Many Companies Is Like an Open Door for Burglars

If your company’s infrastructure and sensitive data have been hacked, do not hesitate to contact the IT specialists of the IT Forensics and IT Security Bremen department: +49 421 3679 9066. Once engaged, we analyse the compromised computer to determine how access to the data was gained, which files were opened and transmitted, and whether Trojan horses were installed. The IT forensic experts and IT security consultants of the Kurtz Detective Agency Bremen also assist companies in developing and installing improved security infrastructures to prevent future cyber attacks.

 

In addition, your employees must be trained to handle sensitive data and internal information attentively and responsibly, as they are often unknowingly and unintentionally involved. Heiko Gossen, one of the managing directors of migosens GmbH in Mülheim an der Ruhr, also points out that the term “IT security” alone is no longer sufficient because companies and private individuals often understand it merely as the necessary technology, namely hardware and software. The more appropriate term “information security”, in his opinion, also includes employees and any other sources of information beyond technical devices. In this respect, the Kurtz IT Service Bremen can draw on extensive experience in advising companies and training employees in the secure handling of technology and the Internet. Once installed, protective barriers and security programmes must be continually updated and renewed to defend against external attacks and malicious software; otherwise, despite good infrastructure, risks from the World Wide Web remain.

Small Steps with a Big Impact: Security

Better protection for a company is achieved through a step-by-step process: from creating guidelines and raising employee awareness to identifying harmful software and finally implementing the new security concept. Although the success of these measures also depends on the company and its employees, the experts of Kurtz IT Forensics and IT Security Bremen can provide decisive assistance and advisory support; it is important that the company supports us as a service provider in our work.

 

Of course, a one hundred per cent security guarantee can never be given, regardless of how many security concepts are implemented at all levels of the company. However, cybercrime can be significantly curbed if small and medium-sized companies also decide to take the services of IT forensic experts and IT security specialists seriously and make use of them.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

 

Kurtz Detective Agency Bremen

Department IT Service: IT Forensics and IT Security

Hollerallee 26

D-28209 Bremen

Tel.: +49 421 3679 9066

E-Mail: kontakt@it-forensik-it-sicherheit.de

Web: https://www.it-forensik-it-sicherheit.de/en