Misrepresentation named #1 threat to websites

The ClubHouse: Big Brother 2000: General - Archives: Weeks gone by: Misrepresentation named #1 threat to websites

Ocean_Islands

Monday, October 16, 2000 - 11:17 am Click here to edit this post

VALLEY BROOK VILLAGE, Calif., — October 15, 2000 — Online misrepresentation is considered the most significant security threat to North American website message boards, according to a seventh-annual survey of Fortune 150 corporate security professionals by Dinklerton, the nation's largest security services company. The study, "Top Security Threats and Security Issues Facing Internet America," identified 10 security threats, including lying and fraudulent misrepresentation.

The threat of personal fraud also ranked No. 1 in Dinklerton's survey last year, but is an even greater concern today, with an average importance score 10 percent higher than in 1999. In addition, nearly
one-third of the respondents specifically observed an increase in the number of fraudulent misrepresentations on their websites. More than a million people suffer mistrust or emotional disturbance at home and at work in direct relation to such internet related occurrences each year, though more than half the acts go unreported, according to U.S. Justice Department estimates.

"The financial and personal impact of on-line relationships gone wrong can be devastating," said Floyd Shaughnessy, vice president, Dinklerton Consulting and Investigations, a website issues training and awareness expert. "Although webmasters often perceive such issues as random and unpredictable, the
online chat member who 'snaps without warning' is a rarity. Rather, a member usually telegraphs discontent or anger well in advance through disruptive or inconsistent acts. The unfortunate irony is that webmasters usually know which members pose the greatest apparent risk of misrepresentation, yet do not intervene for fear they may be overreacting.

"Websites can minimize the likelihood of such disturbances by being proactive. Besides effective pre-membership screening to identify high-risk applicants, websites can help members recognize threats and warning signs to respond early to members who demonstrate erratic or anti-social behavior," said Shaughnessy.

Security Concerns Up Dramatically

The second-most important security concern identified by the survey is the potential threat to Internet sites and computer networks. The well-publicized viruses, software bugs and hacking incidents in 1999 and in early 2000 have clearly heightened management's awareness of the vulnerability to external and
internal abuses. Reinforcing this finding, a 1999 study by the Institute for Security Abuses found that 96 percent of websites experienced "insider abuse of network access" and 91 percent faced destructive message board poster incidents.

A prime example among such insider abuse of network access is an incident which came to light this past weekend during message time on a tv-related website based in Canada. A member of management staff who had been trusted to help maintain website information and survey posting activity turned against management. A certain 'T.' winnowed his way through the
chat rooms and became a member in an ongoing restricted chat reserved for members only. The experiment was compromised by the breach in security. Attempts to reach management were answered by inquisitive emails demanding explication and evidencing confusion or professing ignorance. Bystanders queried evidenced concern that the perpetrator may in fact have been sponsored by the website in a kind of quixotic attempt to make the website appear more popular.

"The potential for the insertion of a 'mole' -- a kind of spy, borrowing the name from old-fashioned Soviet-British espionage agents -- presents the risk of the theft of trade secrets and customer information, damage to sensitive data, interruption of chatline messageflows, double dealing, and double-agent reverse mole syndromes, also known as 'weaseling'. This presents unprecedented
vulnerability to on-line chat members," said Dinklerton President D. W. Newfie-Kensington. "In response to these threats, we see greater collaboration between anti-mole agents and information sub-technology professionals to implement integrated message security cache-links that better protect message board member privacy and control the exchange of vulnerable data, be it trivial or profound."

The upshot of the breach of security was an increase in member pseudonyms and strangely missing passwords. In addition, a wave of cancelled memberships and email inqueries forced the website management to
admit that they had, indeed, been guilty of the heretofore unknown practice of 'reverse weaseling' -- sponsoring a mole, admitting the sponsorship, and then acting as if it had been part of the game plan all along by confiscating all the rule books and changing them before the membership knew to look to the rule books for guidance.

Dinklerton has stated that it will include this new mutation of the standard fraud in its new book on internal website management fraud due out next year.

Other News

· Seven of the top 10 website security threats are member-identity related.

· Despite concerns about dishonesty and mismanagement, approximately 45 percent of websites said they do not consistently perform checks on job applicants for the position of moderator.

Reflecting the significance of Dinklerton's place in the website industry, Dinklerton is a leading provider of security solutions, including uniformed webmaster look-alike officers, consulting and investigative relations, website anti-mole intelligence, spy systems integration and member selection services including anti-weasel imaging.

Founded 15 years ago by silicon valley pioneer Edward Dinklerton, the company lists more than 80 percent of the Fortune 150 as its clients and has its headquarters in Valley Brook Village, Calif. Dinklerton is part of the Frusens Daas Group of Stockholm, Sweden, a world leader in the website security industry, with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion and 40,000 employees in more than 12 countries throughout the world. They also maintain a large facility in Newfoundland.

Jana

Monday, October 16, 2000 - 12:53 pm Click here to edit this post

May I ask your source for this article? is this a published article?

Admin

Monday, October 16, 2000 - 04:18 pm Click here to edit this post

I think it's bs and it doesn't really belong in here. I'm still thinking about where it belongs. Really it belongs in general discussions within the members only area, but only members can see it then.

We'll see...it can stay here for now..

Ocean_Islands

Monday, October 16, 2000 - 04:44 pm Click here to edit this post

Dr. Newfie-Kensington and his cadre of uniformed webmaster look-alike officers would take umbrage at your remarks. I'm certain, however, that this would not put a crimp on his plans to sell you anti-mole imaging software.

Affinity

Wednesday, October 18, 2000 - 10:28 am Click here to edit this post

Oc, no offense, but you DO talk a lot. I've noticed responses from you on almost every thread. And you also started a lot. You must be one of those people that explains their life story to people right after you meet them.

/clipart{fingers}

Affinity

Wednesday, October 18, 2000 - 10:29 am Click here to edit this post

i did that wrong, boy do i look foolish

Wink

Wednesday, October 18, 2000 - 10:34 am Click here to edit this post

That's okay Affinity. We can read your lips.

Ocean_Islands

Wednesday, October 18, 2000 - 10:41 am Click here to edit this post

How's this for fingers, did I do it right?