Internet Security--A Plan of Attack

There has been a string of incidents in which computer hackers attacked prominent e-commerce sites. The experts hope the incidents serve as a wake-up call.

BY CHRISTOPHER CORNELL

Not many weeks ago, you could scarcely watch a TV newscast without hearing breathless reports of prominent e-commerce sites being attacked by mysterious, unidentifiable "computer hackers." The stories probably sent chills down the spine of many a CEO whose company has recently ventured out onto the World Wide Web. After all, many of them must have said to themselves, if Internet stalwarts like Yahoo! and eBay can be victims, how can I possibly be safe?