PWC
There ’ s rarely a time when cyber security isn ’ t in the news these days . At the time of writing Twitter , Facebook , PayPal and other platforms had just fallen victim to a cyber attack , and it ’ s even thought attempts have been made to manipulate the US election result from overseas . As society in general and business in particular becomes more dependent on the software that runs its infrastructure and information management systems , the level of security we can achieve becomes not just a business critical issue but an existential one . As security adviser Roger A Grimes said in a recent InfoWorld article : “ I ’ ve seen American companies work on a secret new product , only to have a Chinese company release a very similar , if not identical product first . Sometimes even the wording in the documentation is identical . I ’ ve seen entire American company divisions shut down as a result .”
How hackers work Every CEO is aware of the need to protect their business : few realise that though most hacks are based on simple password phishing the hackers are some of the smartest people on the globe and it takes equally smart people who understand their mindset , to counter them . Don O ’ Neil is a Director in PwC ’ s Technology Solutions - CIO Advisory Solution group based in Las Vegas . He is more of a strategist than a hacker himself , but his division employs some of the best white hat hackers on the planet , whose job is to carry out penetration tests on businesses from start ups to major players and government departments too . It works with the consulting arm of the global PwC organization ’ s verticals , Consumer and Industrial Products ; Technology , Communications and Entertainment ; Healthcare and Financial Services and a final unit devoted to delivering major government projects , to provide its customers with infrastructure security .
However the division goes beyond just assessing security systems and giving advice : it will do precisely as much work or as little as the customer requires , right though to full implementation . The system
236 May 2017