Digital Risks and Digital Defenders: Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT)

But hacking isn’t always about the obvious. Very often hackers use covert means to enter a system. Facebook transcends operating systems, with people all over the world using it to stay connected. So, not only does Facebook run atop Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) operating systems in the personal computer, tablet, and cell phone spaces, but it also connects all of those systems.

If an attacker were looking for the perfect route to quickly spread an attack, Facebook would be one of the best ways to do it. And such an attack could spread like a wild fire, with the exponential growth of an interconnected network.

Are we ready?

The thing is, if these companies are getting hacked, maybe we aren’t protected as well as we should be. This, in fact, might be a good place for the military/industrial complex to branch out into the public sphere.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) have both built solid capabilities in the cyber war space. Northrop lists cybersecurity second among its capabilities. Two areas of focus at the company worth noting are critical infrastructure protection and cloud security. Both of these are going to be increasingly important in the years ahead and the recent attacks only suggest that the day may be now.

Lockheed Martin, meanwhile, doesn’t put its cyber capabilities front and center, but prominently highlights them under the company’s Information Technology services. Two interesting notes are the company’s ability to securely test wireless systems and its cyber forensics lab. The forensics lab puts the company in line to benefit from analyzing hacking attacks from the inside since it basically has a front row seat at the table. This gives the company an edge in protecting against the next attack.

No big deal…

Perhaps this is an alarmist reaction, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Sure, these attacks could be about corporate espionage, but they could also be about so much more. Now is clearly the time to do something and there are some companies that already are.

The article Digital Risks and Digital Defenders originally appeared on Fool.com.

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