Anybody who watched the ABC's 4 Corners
Cyber War episode on Monday should be very concerned about our
exposure to hackers accessing our sensitive information, whether as
individuals or business people.
4 Corners highlighted how weak our cyber defences are against
attacks from criminals on our personal information, or against
international sabotage at a government level.
Much is made of cyber security, but in the past these attacks
have been seen more as a nuisance or a way to earn bragging rights.
But it's important to realise that it is the data and
information that these electronic spies are after.
How well do we understand what, where and how our data is
stored? A recent
global study published by Veritas showed that of the data owned
by Australian businesses, 62% is 'dark data', meaning its
value has not been identified: it is not known whether it is
'business critical' data. This lack of understanding and
ownership of data is a greater problem than simply
