Many internet users were inconvenienced yesterday by the success of a hacker in gaining access to a computer controlling Eircom's internet service, Eircom.net. As a precautionary measure Eircom changed the passwords of the 30,000 customers whose security was breached; many subsequently had difficulty contacting the company help-line to obtain their new password. The Garda are investigating the matter.
A few years ago such an incident would have barely raised an eyebrow, as e-mail and the internet were used only by a small number of people. However they are now a central feature of business life and are also used increasingly for personal communications. Many thousands of people access the internet daily. It is no exaggeration to say that services of the kind provided by Eircom are now an essential part of our business infrastructure and an increasingly important tool of social interaction.
The hacker has clearly exposed some problems in the security system employed by Eircom. It is easy to conclude that this should not have happened. No doubt Eircom will be urgently reviewing its systems and procedures. Its response also left something to be desired; in particular it might have immediately provided a freephone number for customers and ensured that it had enough operators to answer their calls.
However while this is the first major "hack" to come to light in Ireland, there have been a number of similar and indeed more serious incidents internationally. To an extent it may be an unavoidable phenomenon as hackers seek to test their skills against those of major corporations. It will probably be the case that as security systems get better, so hackers will become more sophisticated in trying to break in, leading in turn to better security. Certainly advanced security systems are becoming more available. No doubt many businesses will now be looking anew at investing in such systems. Before long much of the information send through the internet will be encoded, making it much more difficult for hackers to gain access.
The news of the breach of Eircom's electronic security will no doubt lead many to be more cautious in their use of computers for sending and receiving information. Such caution may be no bad thing. But it would be wrong to suggest that the latest episode will prove a long-term set-back to e-commerce or to the use of the internet by business and consumers. Criminality is a threat in many facets of life and e-business is no different. However, for example, consumers probably take greater risks handing their credit cards to retailers or giving their card details over the phone than they do using them to buy goods online.
The message to be taken from the successful hack into Eircom's system is that both internet service providers and businesses need to pay close attention to having the best security possible and that, when choosing who to do business with, consumers should satisfy themselves, insofar as they can, that appropriate safeguards are in place.