Top Financial Services Companies Report Increased Security Attacks

Deloitte & Touche, an accounting and consulting firm, reports that external security attacks on IT (information technology) systems located at leading financial institutions more than doubled compared to a year ago. The company's 2004 Global Security Survey polled 100 of the world's top banks, insurers, and financial services companies about their information system security issues and practices. The survey indicated that 83% of the respondents' systems had been attacked during the past year, compared to 39% in 2003.

"Financial institutions are fighting an ongoing battle to combat and mitigate ever-increasing security threats and attacks and privacy violations, as well as comply with the increasingly stringent regulatory environment," said Ted DeZabala, a principal with Deloitte & Touche. "These institutions are under increased pressure to deliver a secure environment while also providing greater consumer access. There is a very fine balance between meeting such demands while maintaining the level of security needed to prevent and manage attacks."

More than 70% of those surveyed indicated that viruses and worms posed the greatest security threat. However, the number of institutions with a fully deployed antivirus solution declined from 96% in 2003 to 87% in this year's survey. The responses did reflect an increase in regulatory compliance, with 66% reporting that they have a program in place for managing privacy, compared to 56% in 2003.

Microsoft Solitaire Trivia

Microsoft Solitaire may be the most popular software of all time. Show us someone who hasn't idled away some time playing it, and we'll show you someone who has likely never touched a PC. To add a little more fun when playing solitaire, think about some of these facts and tips the next time you
sit down at your PC for a game:

• Wes Cherry created Microsoft Solitaire in 1989 while working as an intern at Microsoft. Cherry received no compensation for his popular invention.
  
  
• Microsoft Solitaire has shipped with every version of Windows since Windows 3.0.
  
  
• To move a card to a suit stack (the four stacks that start with aces on the bottom), double-click it. To move all possible cards to their respective suit stacks, right-click the game board or press CTRL-A.
  
  
• To deal one card at a time when you're playing with a three-card deal, press CTRL-ALT-SHIFT as you click the deck.
  
  
• To see the cards cascade around the screen at any time, press ALT-SHIFT-2 (Windows XP only).
  
  
• In Britain, the game of solitaire is called patience.