E-Business Security

All business owners should be aware of the risks associated with conducting business on the internet. Ventures like this can pose serious security risks if they are not gone about in the correct manner. A responsible business owner needs to take the necessary precautions when they decide that they want to conduct an e-business. Taking the time to protect your business from hackers will maximize the potential for success.

          “The term hacker was originally used to refer to a self-taught computer expert who is highly skilled with technology, programming, and hardware” (Jenkins, 2000). Hackers target small businesses because they lack the resources that large corporations possess to provide security. A malicious code can destroy all of a company’s code generators and programs. They have caused companies to lose millions of dollars as well as industry position. To avoid malicious codes debilitating your online company, anti-virus and anti-spyware programs should be used and updated regularly and have the most recent patches. A firewall is also a good tool to utilize when trying to protect your online business from these types of threats.

          Data breaches are a common problem seen by online companies that fail to secure their wireless internet networks properly. It can lead to your customer’s financial information falling into the hands of someone who intends to misuse the information. If you intend on using a wireless network for you business you have to ensure that proper security steps are taken. The default password should be changed to something lengthy and preferably containing both large and small letters as well as numbers and characters. You should also make sure that you encrypt your wireless router with Wi-Fi protected access or WPA.  If you aren’t using a wireless router, you should still secure communications that go on over a network. This should be done with the use of internet protocol security or IPSec.

          Another important internet security issue that stems from network use is an always-on connection. Most internet businesses rely on a high bandwidth connection like DSL or a cable modem. An always-on network connection leaves you vulnerable to attacks 24/7. Static IP addresses are also maintained when using an always-on connection. The presents a problem because “once a potential hacker has found the computer, he or she will be able to return to it as long as it is using the same IP address, placing it at greater risk of malicious intrusion” (Jenkins, 2000).

          E-businesses constantly exchange data. It is important to be aware of who you are exchanging data with. Connecting to systems that are owned as well as controlled by others can pose serious security issues. Because of this, it is important that the security mechanisms chosen are “standards based, flexible, and interoperable, to ensure that they work with others’ systems. They must support browsers, and work in multi-tier architectures with one or more middle tiers such as web servers and application servers” (White, 2002, p. 4).

          It is also important to encrypt the information that you keep on your personal computer. You must be prepared for the possibility that your computer could fall into the wrong hands. If it did, you would want to ensure that whoever has the computer won’t be able to view any of the sensitive information being kept on it. To protect your business from the possibility of a computer being stolen, use encryption programs that make information unreadable without an encryption key or password. “An additional strategy is to utilize Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and/or S-HTTP, which work great to secure e-business transactions and other communications between browsers and Web sites” (B., 2010).

When it comes to email, security should be a number one priority. All emails should use file encryption so that communications remain between the customer and the business. Employees should also be made aware of spear phishing scams. They could receive emails that appear to come from a legitimate place like an IT department and be asked to relay sensitive passwords via email. Employees should always be made “aware of what a spear phishing attack is and to be on the lookout for anything in their in-box that looks suspicious (Teixeira, 2007).

I have no doubt that an acceptable level of security can be reached when conducting business over the internet; however, it is a business owner’s responsibility to take the proper steps to ensure the highest security level possible.  Security of an e-business is a multifaceted challenge requiring appropriate policies and practices. When you have successfully deployed an internet business, you will have developed a well established risk management procedure to deter disintermediation of data access.  Providing security for your internet business shouldn’t be hard. There are numerous program providers in the network security field to help you. Failing to take it into account at all would be a fatal error on a business owner’s part.

References

B., D. (2010, May 28). Exploring the Security Concerns for an Online e-Business. Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/computing/enterprise-security/articles/72582.aspx.

Teixeira, R. (2007, June 4). Top Five Small Business Internet Security Threats. Retrieved from http://smallbiztrends.com/2007/06/top-five-small-business-internet-security-threats.html.

White, O. (2002, January). Managing E-Business Security Challenges. Retrieved from http://www.cgisecurity.com/database/oracle/pdf/9iR2hisec.PDF.