5 Ways Your Organisation Can Suffer a Data Breach
Unauthorized access
Unauthorized access is not just about hacking. It may also occur when someone who shouldn’t have access to your files does manage to get in and steal them or even just copies them for nefarious reasons. You can avoid this risk by giving only those employees who need access to your files the proper permissions or credentials (username/password combination) required for their jobs. You should also consider implementing a zero-trust approach along with SIAM tools. For more information, please contact IT Support New Jersey.
Cyber attacks
Cyber attacks can inflict significant damage on a company in terms of lost revenue and brand reputation. The consequences of a cyber attack vary depending on what information has been compromised and how much damage has been done. Still, they generally fall into financial losses and reputational damages. Reputational damages include loss of goodwill or trust among customers or employees; financial losses include costs associated with repairing the damage done by a breach and fines imposed by regulators such as local authorities or national governments.
Malicious insiders
Malicious insiders are employees, contractors, or third-party suppliers with legitimate access to your organization’s data. Depending on their roles and responsibilities, they could be trusted and well-liked people. These insiders may be motivated by revenge or greed or may just enjoy the challenge of getting around security measures.
The insider threat is dangerous because it uses an individual’s knowledge of how the organization works to gain access to sensitive data. It also tends to be difficult for organizations to detect malicious activity by insiders as they are often aware of what information is essential and where it might reside within your systems (e.g., credit card details). IT Consulting New Jersey helps you identify any malicious activity in your system.
Physical theft
While rare compared to other forms of a data breach, physical theft is a real risk for organizations. It’s usually the result of an employee who has been fired or otherwise let go of stealing sensitive information and selling it on the black market.
To avoid this situation, you should have a comprehensive policy that includes clear guidelines for what employees can and cannot do with company property. If you ever experience physical theft, immediately notify law enforcement and ensure that all relevant parties understand how serious this issue is and how much effort is being put into resolving it quickly—and don’t forget about cybercrime.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a form of malware that blocks or limits users from accessing their systems. Ransomware attacks have increased by 80% year-over-year, with ransomware-as-a-service used by eight of the top 11 ransomware families. There are several ways ransomware attacks can happen:
- Phishing or malicious link – An employee gets an email they think is legitimate, but it contains a link to a website designed to install ransomware on their computer. The employee clicks and installs the malware, which locks the company’s files until the hackers get paid in bitcoin (or another cryptocurrency).
- Malicious app – A malicious application was installed on an employee’s phone or tablet through Apple’s App Store or Google Play, so now, when they log into work with those devices, they’ve already infected all of your other computers with ransomware, too!
Data Breach Prevention
Once you understand what factors make up your risk profile — what data you have that others would want, who might want them — then you can take steps to protect yourself against those risks by taking advantage of best practices around cybersecurity, such as encryption technology and multi-factor authentication systems such as biometrics or smart cards.
Post courtesy: Chris Forte, President and CEO at Olmec Systems.
