Breaches can be costly. In a recent episode, a judge fined the UK government £500,000 for its failure to protect the personal information of New Year Honor’s recipients. This ruling should teach us to take cyber security seriously.
You might be fortunate enough not to experience one, but it does not mean that you can take the threat of cyber breaches lightly. On the contrary, you should beef up security. But the question is, how do you do that? If you do not know what to do, you should pay close attention to this article.
What Is Data Breach?
Before beefing up your cyber security, let us define what it is. A data breach is the unauthorized access of confidential or sensitive information. An example would be the illegal entry of an individual into a computer system. Once they are inside the network, they can steal the data stored in the database.
The Department of Justice defines a breach as the “loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, access for an unauthorized purpose, or other unauthorized access, to data, whether physical or electronic.” The most common causes for data breaches are the following:
1.) Ransomware
2.) Malware
3.) Phishing
4.) Denial of Service
How Does This Happen?
People often speculate that the sole culprit for data breaches is a hacker. Sometimes, data breaches occur when a company has lax network security. Sometimes, it happens because you innocently clicked on an email.
Understanding how these things happen is your first line of defense. Here are the most common causes why security breaches occur:
1.) Criminal Individuals or Organizations - Malicious persons or groups hacking your network to obtain information. They can do this through malware, phishing, or even brute force.
2.) Human Error - According to Verizon, 20% of security breaches occur because of human error. They pointed out that it can happen when an employee accidentally sends sensitive information to the wrong recipient.
Another typical example would be a misconfiguration. It happens when databases with sensitive information do not have any password protection.
3.) Internal Threat - These people have access to sensitive information. Their sole purpose of joining the organization is to harm individuals or the company.
4.) Lost (or Stolen) Devices - It would be easy to retrieve sensitive information if you did not encrypt the device.
What Is the Cost of a Security Breach?
You might be thinking that the cost of increasing your network security is too steep. Allow us to remind you of the example mentioned earlier: a British judge fined the UK government. You might think that the information in your database is worthless.
Seemingly inconsequential data can still have a major impact. Stolen information can lead to identity theft or hacked businesses.
Conclusion
Taking the extra mile to prevent cyber breaches will go a long way. You are not only protecting yourself. But you are also taking care of your clients and customers. Thus, you avoid possible lead headaches associated with the crime.
If you are looking for a cyber security analyst in Birmingham, AL, you do not have to look far. At SIP Oasis, we can help you determine which are your vulnerable spots and fix them. Call us now for more information!