'Network Security Tech' at War with Cyber Terrorism


Patent applications for 'Network Security Technology' are on a sharp rise for the protection of users' data, systems and networks against 'cyber terrorism' such as hacking and viruses.

With the growing influence of cyber terrorism in line with the development of the Internet, the importance of a network security system also is gaining more weight.

The recently rapidly-spreading 'Sasser Virus' damaged more than 10 million computers and a variety of new viruses are still appearing every day.

- In the past five years, cyber infringement cases have increased twofold annually, with a sharp increase in the private sector in particular.

Representative types of cyber terrorism are 'hacking,' 'viruses,' etc.


Hacking is the act of infiltrating a specific site or system with ill-intentions and reading, falsifying or destroying data.
A virus is a kind of infection program that is characterized by copying itself without any outside manipulation and spreading via a network, once disseminated.

The patent application trends for network security-related products show:

- Total patent applications in the field are on a steady increase, but since the 2000s, there have been frequent variations in the trend by technology field.
- Whereas hacking-related patent applications have soared since the 1990s by more than twofold, virus-related patent applications have seen repeated ups and downs since 2000 when they sharply increased.

Such frequent changes in patent application trends is due to the characteristics of technologies sensitive to what is in 'fashion.'

- With resolution of the 'venture bubbles' at the end of 2000, virus-related patent applications easily developed by venture or small and medium-size firms declined sharply, and comparatively those by large enterprises and research institutes have increased.
- Since 2003, the line between hacking and viruses has become blurred, and virus-related patent applications sharply increased again amid the prevalence of highly advanced and intelligent worm viruses.


The integration and advancement of security technologies is expected to continue in the future.

- The technologies will likely develop into a 'security control system' that integrates existing security technologies and ensures network security and into an 'obstacle-tolerant system' that will operate normally despite cyber attacks.
- The scope of the technologies is expected to expand further, for example to certification methods that combine biotechnology, including bio-recognition and security applications for the wireless Internet