Security News > 2011 > May > Small firms learn size doesn't matter to hackers

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-smallbiz-security-20110523,0,5494792.story By Cyndia Zwahlen Los Angeles Times May 23, 2011 It took all of three minutes for the hacker to break into the small accounting firm's computer system. The virtual open window into the system turned out to be a computer equipped with outdated software. It provided access to the office network and the hacker was able to get files that included private financial information. "That was a shock," said Lynne Leavitt, a partner at the four-person Los Angeles firm, Brakensiek Leavitt Pleger. "I thought we had good security. I thought we were safe." Luckily, it was just a test. The hacker had been employed by a security company to test the accountants' digital defenses. As a result, the firm put in new software and adopted new security procedures. Cyber security is not just for big businesses. "That's one of the myths we come across — 'I am too small,'" said Stan Stahl, head of a Los Angeles cyber-security company Citadel Information Group Inc. and president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Information Systems Security Assn., a trade group. [...]

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http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-smallbiz-security-20110523,0,5494792.story