Although it has been around for nearly a decade, Internet espionage has suddenly come into the spotlight due to revelations by various media outlets that the US government is spying on Internet users. However, despite its popularity, not many people understand what this type of spying really is, what its implications are, and what reliable IT support can do in this situation. Here is a brief summary of what this type of espionage really is and what it means for local businessmen.
What exactly is Internet espionage?
On June 05, 2013, it was revealed through The Guardian, a British newspaper, that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting phone calls from various phone companies legally through a court order. This softened the blow of the subsequent news story that broke on June 06, 2013 through the same newspaper that the NSA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been tracking the online movements of Internet users, hence the term “espionage”. from Internet”. These movements include blog posts, emails, or even simple comments. These government agencies claim that these movements are only accessed if a person is suspected of terrorism.
Internet espionage in a private house
Due to the fact that today’s society is more focused on government involvement in this type of espionage, not many people see that this type of espionage can also be done by anyone, including parents and spouses. With the right kind of software, parents can track their children’s online movements to ensure their children’s safety and spouses use it with their partners.
Internet spying in the workplace
For business owners, Internet spying can work both ways. By implementing office protocols that allow business owners to see the websites accessed by their employees, they can ensure that company resources are used in the right way. This allows employers to see if their employees are browsing sites that have nothing to do with their work or if their employees are sharing files illegally with other companies.
This type of espionage can also cause business ruin if the espionage is done by a third party in hopes of finding information they can steal, thus this type of espionage gets a more popular name called “data breach”.
The effects of espionage on the Internet on a global scale
The effects of data breaches go beyond US borders. According to the study conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Symantec, US and German companies had the most costly data breaches in 2013. US companies lose $277 for stolen data, while German companies lose $214. French and Australian business customers were also found to lose the most customers each time a data breach is reported.
The Effects of Internet Spying on Your Business
When looking at the effects of this type of espionage on a global scale, it is quite obvious that one of the most common effects of a data breach is the loss of customers. This is because through a data breach, personally identifiable information (PII), such as credit card information, can be easily stolen. Customers who buy products online also want to ensure their privacy. Data breach can also lead to downtime and other issues that can hamper a company’s productivity. These issues are why a data breach can cause businesses to lose an average of $613,000 to $32 million.
How to prevent Internet spying without IT support
To avoid revenue loss of this magnitude without IT support, business owners should look to effective antivirus and anti-spyware programs that can block unwanted access. They must also enforce office protocol that limits employee file-sharing capabilities to ensure that Internet espionage does not start from the inside without compromising employee productivity. Business owners should always be on the lookout for any type of data breach to prevent the attack from getting worse. This can be done by constantly monitoring employee fingerprints to ensure everything is on track.
The most efficient way to prevent espionage on the Internet
Doing all of these preventative and curative measures to avoid Internet spying will eventually become too much for business owners who also have to worry about the overall well-being of their business. That is why it is more ideal to hire specialists who can provide 14/7 IT support. These people are specially trained to form incident management plans where a protocol will be established when an attack is about to happen and when the attack has already happened. They can also set up effective Internet protection without slowing down employee productivity. This is why they can effectively block any type of data breach while helping business owners save a lot of money.
