Online Security Trend

Each year there are certain trends associated with security that seem to capture headlines across the country.  In many cases these headlines are associated with workplace violence.  However, loss of corporate and personal data has the potential to affect more people than security incidents related to violence in the workplace.

Online Security Breach

One data breach can affect hundreds of thousands people and the affects of the incident can go on for years, or it may be years before you even know you are  a victim.

As an example, weekly, if not daily, there are news reports of large amounts of online corporate data, or customer or patient information being stolen. The recent hacking of Sony Pictures or the hacking of military websites and social networking sites are likely to become more common over the next year, because of either disgruntled employees, foreign sources, or those that just commit the acts for no apparent reason.  Even police departments have had their files and records stolen and held for ransom, so there is no pattern to these acts other than they are committed through online avenues.

Identity Theft

With identify theft often being the end goal for many hackers, it is important that everyone, and this includes businesses, take all reasonable steps to protect their personal information, files, and business records.

One of the easiest means in which to infiltrate your network or computer systems is by inserting a malware or spyware code into an email, text message, or other electronic communication, and disguise it so that the end-user suspects nothing and clicks on a link which triggers the security breach.

Data Theft Security Tips

Business must insure that their employees understand the risks of opening emails or clicking on links that look suspicious and Individuals need to understand the risk as well for their personal computers or smart phones. The threats to your online information are real, and it is up to you to protect your identify and that of your business.

Security tips include:

• Ensuring that your security software is very strong and that potential risks are automatically flagged and links disabled as quickly as possible.
• Train your staff on how to determine what an authentic email, link, attachment and so forth are, and how to handle any electronic message that is suspicious.
• Consider disabling the USB ports on your business computers. This will stop someone from inserting a USB drive into the slot and downloading information or uploading a virus, spyware, or malware.
• Institute security measures on your network that you have vetted in advance, and ensure that only authorized personnel have access to your server room.
• Ensure that your computer system is backed up on a regular basis, and the backup files are not stored on the same network. You will come to appreciate this if your files get hacked for ransom.

There are many additional security steps that you as a business owner can and should take to protect your online presence. Doing nothing and even considering that it will not happen to your business is poor planning.