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Lessons learned from recent high-profile data breaches
It's no surprise that in the current cybersecurity environment, data breaches are among the top concerns for business leaders. A company that becomes the victim of an aggressive malware infection or targeted attack is left to deal with the fallout from the theft of sensitive customer information. This can cause serious damage to an enterprise's reputation, tarnishing their brand in the eyes of consumers everywhere.
As organizations work to prevent such security incidents from happening, they must also be aware of the today's corporate and hacking climates. Although large-scale breaches - including the several high-profile events that have occurred in the last few years - can strike fear into the hearts of company managers, they also provide their share of wisdom for others in the space. Below are a few lessons administrators should takeaway from recent data breaches:
Every business is at risk of a breach
IT Business Edge noted that if there's one thing to be learned from the recent rash of data breaches, it's that every industry is vulnerable to an attack. Additionally, when hackers stumble across a weakness that also impacts others in the same sector, they will use it to their advantage in other attacks. Although it may be frightening to realize that no matter how many protections and safeguards are in place, the company can still be at risk, experts noted that being prepared is key.
"While you may not be able to avoid a breach, security professionals can significantly reduce the costs and reputational fallout by being prepared," stated IT Business Edge.
Hackers have high hopes, and advanced techniques to match
Dark Reading contributor Ericka Chickowski outlined another takeaway that can be gleaned from a recent breach involving the theft of 850,000 customer records from a car service company. In the attack, cybercriminals primarily targeted information related to high- or no-limit payment cards, as well as other data which "would prove a treasure trove for corporate spies or tabloid media players," Chickowski wrote.
This shows that hackers have set their sights on the most sensitive information a company has, and they also leverage advanced attack techniques to steal this content. It is critical, then, to implement extra safeguards to better protect this content, including authentication credentials and encryption. These systems will ensure that only authorized viewers are able to access the content, but even if cyberthieves were able to get past this safety measure, any information they discovered would be unreadable.
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