Symantec's Francis deSouza lays out the requirements for a more practical way of addressing information security threats. The recent the Hydraq attacks were the latest example of just how radically the Internet threat landscape has changed over the past few years, and how vulnerable companies and their information stores are to cyber attacks.

The attackers were not hackers, they were criminals attempting to steal intellectual property. Hydraq is an example of how cybercrime has evolved from hackers simply pursuing public notoriety to covert, well-organized attacks that leverage insidious malware and social engineering tactics to target key individuals and penetrate corporate networks.

Many of today's attacks are highly sophisticated espionage campaigns attempting to silently steal confidential information. This should raise the alarm for companies of all sizes and across all industries, as information is a business' most valuable asset. Information not only supports business, it also enables and helps drive it in a global marketplace in which having the right information at the right time can mean the difference between profitability and loss.

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