"Security is about much more than firewalls and anti-virus. It’s a process which requires constant monitoring and which everyone in the business should be alert to." Clive Cloudwell, Business Technology
Throughout the 1990s hackers were often perceived as geeks using a scrambler box to hide themselves and break into remote networks. In the X-Files they were depicted as Fox Mulder's associates and broke into foreign government networks or banks to expose conspiracy theories. The aim was just to expose rather than for monetary gain.
As technology grows, more loopholes need to plugged; many companies just install firewall and antivirus systems (and some don’t even do this) and think they are impregnable. Today there are so many facets and areas that need protecting: Physical Security, Operating Systems, Data Security, Wireless Security, Website Security, Email Security, Back-ups. A firewall and antivirus set-up protects against no more than a quarter of these.
A firewall offers protection against threats directed at your network but clearly it cannot secure data on the move such as an email, website request, laptop or USB device. Data outside of your network is also beyond your control and therefore vulnerable. Of course you should still have a sound firewall and antivirus system but equally it is important to think beyond this to other possibilities. What happens if someone loses a laptop? A firewall can’t protect it from physical intrusion and the consequences of someone trying to extract data from it.