<p>Cyber attacks are increasing at an alarming rate, forcing IT to rethink protecting systems.</p><p>An alarming increase in reported cyber attacks this year is extending the onus on IT pros to once again step up efforts to protect their infrastructures. While attacks have escalated routinely over the past several decades, they've also increased in frequency, intensity and sophistication, leading to heightened awareness and concern. That's raising the bar for how businesses and government agencies need to respond.</p><p>Major banks, media outlets, government agencies -- including those in law enforcement -- and other organizations have sustained unprecedented penetrations, many since the beginning of this year. Intruders have ranged from criminals seeking big paydays to activists looking to make a point to state-sponsored probes of the critical infrastructure of the United States.</p><p>The increased incidents reached the point in March when the intelligence community declared cyber attacks have supplanted terrorism as the leading threat to the nation's security, in part due to recent revelations that many of these attacks represent government efforts originating in China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.</p><p><a href="http://redmondmag.com/articles/2013/05/01/spotlight-on-security.aspx">Keep reading...</a></p>