Data theft gets corporate sanction

Hackers are in demand for stealing financial data as companies close accounts for the year. Experts say government agencies involved too

Hackers are in demand for stealing financial data as companies close accounts for the year. Experts say government agencies involved too

Survival of the fittest has for long been the mantra for the corporate world. But recruiting hackers to slip out financial information on the Internet was unknown.


Representative photo

Year-end financial report of a Gurgaon-based company was published on the Internet in 2009 before the firm could made it public. The rival companies had allegedly hired a hacker who got into the company network and leaked the report.

According to cyber crime experts, not only corporates but government offices keep an eye on the financial details of a company, especially at the time of closing towards the end of the financial year.
"Majority of corporate network intrusions take place during the end of the financial year. At the time when all corporate plan their activities and budget for the forthcoming year, their competitors keep a tab on any information that'll be helpful for them in the coming year. Corporates attacking their rivals has become a trend in the corporate world," said Rajat Khare, director, Appin Security Group.

Not only corporates, cyber criminals have accelerated attacks on government websites as well.
Government offices have reported a total of 177 cyber attacks in the year 2009. Incidentally, cyber attack incidents last year were almost twice the number in 2008, which saw 93 such incidents.

Most of the financial details, confidential documents, debtor list, bidding quotation and other important data are

E-crime

According to US-based computer security firm NetWitness, hackers till now have broken into computer systems of nearly 2,500 organisations, including commercial and government entities worldwide. Hacking is extensively comprised information of 68,000 corporate login credentials and online banking sites. Analysts of the company have discovered a "dangerous new ZeuS botnet (a malicious programme)" that has affected 75,000 systems in 2,500 organisations across the world.

communicated online and that is where cyber crooks punch a hole.

"Maximum data is being transferred online. Hackers can easily download a Trojan and infect the computer and get complete access to the system. We have received various complaints from corporates, claiming that sensitive documents were being hacked," added Khare.

The rivalry game of the corporate world has given encouragement to hacking and as a result, a hacker
is paid a heavy sum to get information.

"There is huge demand for hackers. In this age of neck-to-neck competition, corporates need hackers to steal vital statistics of a rival company. This practice is quite popular in western countries, and now India is also following it up. Corporate rivalries through cyber spying has risen to a different level altogether," said Sunny Vaghela, cyber crime expert from Gujarat.