This article in the Guardian, on line, clearly demonstrates the sense in your focus over many articles and audios, on cyber security and why we need to pay attention to it - both for our own security and for the potential of a growth market.

If the cyber experts and hacker communities are worried, maybe we should very very scared - most of us are only suspicious, wary of ghosts in the cupboard because we are not really sure - these guys should know - and they are worried!

Take heed, and, maybe take profit! - following your advice from several comments in the last months at the very least.

 

Eoin Treacy's view

Thank you for this interesting article but there is not a great deal that is new in its content. Ransomware is a growing global threat and the number of small businesses being targeted is expanding exponentially. The criminals concerned have a particular penchant for targeting hospitals and police departments because they have access to public cash and can’t function without their databases not least because lives are literally on the line. However they are also going after smaller targets. 

As if this wasn’t bad enough, the inevitability of the Internet of Things represents a significant acceleration in the potential capability of cybercriminals to cause mischief. Sensors, diagnostics and communication capabilities are being integrated with all domestic and industrial machines, which mean they will be susceptible to interference from outside actors through hacking. To say massive investment in cryptography and security (both defensive and offensive) are required is an understatement. 

One might ask if the threat is so grave why the investment hasn’t taken place already. The simple answer is that while the threat to consumers is real it is often cheaper for corporations to accept a breach than to invest in preventative measures. Until that changes the solution to the clear vulnerabilities in the online system are unlikely to be fully resolved. 

Cybersecurity shares pulled back sharply in the latter half of 2015 but have bounced so far this year and the Purefunds ISE Cyber Security ETF (HACK) is now trading back above the 200-day MA. 
Companies like CyberArk and LifeLock, that securely warehouse passwords etc., have similar patterns. 


It’s a very challenging environment for individuals and businesses but that also means this is a sector with a lot of upside potential for just that reason and it could become secular theme if some of the challenges described above are resolved.  

Simple steps you can take are to back up your data regularly. It doesn’t take very long so think about doing it before you listen to the Friday audio and it should be done before it finishes. 

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve seen and it is something we have employed in our family is to have a separate computer for online payments and banking. We never save passwords, surf the internet or check email on that computer and we never pay for anything with the computers we use for surfing. So far so good.