Organisational data could come across serious pitfalls via which data can be easily compromised. This is especially true of websites and online businesses where large volumes of sensitive information are shared between the individual and the company. A recent case in point is Facebook, that revealed the user data of millions of its consumers was inappropriately used by Cambridge Analytics.
The last decade has seen an increasing landscape of information security threats (ie, the Yahoo leak, where billon of accounts was compromised via WannaCry malware1. Many of these threats can be averted by prevention alone. Technology gadgets are inundating markets at a rapid rate, most of which will be internet-connected, but many being devoid of security measures to address the range of security threats. Each unremedied security threat poses a potential security threat that can be exploited.
Every organization has to bring leaks and data breaches to an end and incorporate good governance that enables access to data from anywhere, without the threat of malware compromising the data assets. The types of malicious software attacks that your business can expect include malware, adware, spyware, and trojan horses.
At a technical level, the best protection for data breaches is based on layering multiple protection mechanisms, including: monitoring, spam filtering, web filtering and encrypted emails, timely patches, redundant backups, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN’s) data encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), limiting the transfer of large volumes of data and use of secure internet browser(s). The list goes on.
Additional non-technical safeguards include:
Educate Employees
Employees are the first and foremost barrier that a data breach confronts, hence adequate training on the handling of personally identifiable (PII) and sensitive data is critical. Staff policies need to be implemented, along with training and awareness, to ensure that malicious data is not downloaded from external sources and also that sensitive internal data can be compromised.
Maintain Password Hygiene
Develop the practice of keeping strong and unique passwords for user accounts that are frequently updated, especially for accounts storing user information.
Monitor data leakages
It is essential to monitor your IT environments for data leaks software loopholes.
Installing Anti-virus software is also essential, to ward-off potentially malicious software. Vendor software patches and updates should be implemented regularly, and updates monitored in real-time.
Effective data resilience is an ongoing process and not a one-off procedure. Every company should be data resilient, guaranteeing protection from cyber-security threats, data leaks, and other such threats.
For more information, visit www.dataresilience.com.au or drop us a note at [email protected].
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com.au/yahoo-malware-attack-2014-1