Computerworld magazine reported that at a recent Gartner conference, Robert Gates, president of Texas A&M University and former director of the CIA, warned that companies must prepare for terrorism
in all aspects of business and that the threat of cyberterrorism should be taken particularly seriously.
A computer security incident is considered to be any event wherein some aspect of a computer system is threatened. Incidents include the loss of data confidentiality, disruption of data or system integrity, or disruption or denial of availability.
Planning for business continuity includes being prepared for a variety of threats: viruses, hack attacks (both internal and external), industrial espionage, denial-of-service attacks, unauthorized access to systems, hoaxes and fraud. Advance planning for such threats can be very costly in money and time.
Computerworld warned that businesses should be prepared to do without services and equipment they normally depend upon -- electricity, telephone service, Internet connections, natural gas and fuel pumps, for example.
For more information, go to www.computerworld.com.