In order to detect and remediate data breaches, businesses must be proactive. Companies must take steps to protect sensitive information from being accessed by hackers, unauthorized individuals, or outside parties. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help them identify and protect against cyber attacks. A forensics expert can help organizations identify and assess the extent of any breaches. They can analyze backup and preserved data and analyze logs to determine who had access to the data at the time of the breach. They can also verify the type of information compromised. This information will allow businesses to take remediation measures as quickly as possible.
Cyberattacks
There are many different types of cyberattacks, which are used to obtain private data and information. These attacks target computer systems, industrial controls, natural gas lines, and financial systems. In some cases, they can affect the functioning of transportation systems, including affecting schedules. Fortunately, there are several ways to combat cyberattacks.
The first step to defending your organization against cyberattacks is to identify and protect vulnerable resources. The resources that are most susceptible to cyber attacks are those that hold credit card information or clinical research data. These resources may also contain sensitive information, such as personal details of patients. Further, these attacks can also affect social networks and operating systems within your organization.
Another common attack involves the loss of credentials. This occurs because criminals have access to your database without restriction. Fortunately, it is much easier to recover your system by restoring it from backups than to wait for the attackers to provide you with a decryption key. However, in some cases, the attack is deliberate and involves the whole business, so it is important to take measures to protect yourself and your business.
Cyberattacks on data breaches are an important issue for companies to address. The number of breaches has increased dramatically since 2005 and is expected to increase even more by 2021. Most data breaches are the result of hackers, and they can affect millions of consumers or records. Cybercriminals often use ransomware, which encrypts access to vital information and asks for cryptocurrency in return for access.
Physical theft
Physical theft is the theft of information from a company, whether it’s from a device or from paperwork. The risk of physical theft is particularly high with remote workers and those working in public places. It can be easy to steal a laptop, or other computer equipment containing passwords or login information. Theft of this information can lead to identity theft.
Keeping data private is challenging because insiders can be an even bigger threat. Data is stored on many devices, including hard drives, servers, smartphones, and tablets. Keeping these items out of the hands of employees will limit their potential for theft. Keeping your data secure is essential for business continuity, so be sure to implement effective cybersecurity measures.
Physical theft in data breaches is relatively easier to carry out than logical theft. This is because physical theft can be accomplished by using physical access to a device or system. With access to the system, a hacker can perform a unique attack or exploit a network’s weaknesses for an extended period of time. Furthermore, most protections put in place to secure sensitive information can be circumvented if the attacker has physical access and enough time.
Theft of personal data is a growing concern for individuals. This can be done through the theft of online passwords, bank account information, driver’s license numbers, medical records, and much more. This theft can lead to identity theft, so protecting this information is critical.
Insider privilege misuse
Insider privilege misuse and data breaches can be devastating, particularly if the attacker gains access to sensitive data. Many of these breaches result from insiders accidentally sharing passwords or storing them in an insecure place. They can also be caused by insiders misusing the same password for multiple services. This can make them easily able to crack the passwords of others in the organization.
These threats can go undetected for years. One example is a Canadian finance company that had its users copy customer data to a shared drive. A malicious insider continued to copy the information for two years, resulting in 9.7 million customer records being publicly disclosed. Desjardins ended up spending $108 million to deal with the breach.
Malicious insiders, also known as “turncloaks,” are individuals who intentionally misuse privileged access or degrade systems. They may be lone wolves or collaborators with a third party who seek to harm the organization. They may leak sensitive information and disrupt the organization’s business operations.
Insiders who use their privileges for malicious purposes may bypass most security measures. They may even have multiple responsibilities, giving them elevated access to sensitive information. In addition, their multiple responsibilities may create conflicts of interest.
Pandemic
Data breaches are on the rise, resulting in a growing cybercrime epidemic. As the internet becomes increasingly popular, hackers are finding new and creative ways to access data. Many breaches expose personal information and cause financial harm. In one recent case, the data of more than 33,000 people applying for unemployment assistance was exposed, and a similar breach exposed the information of 8,000 small business owners. By 2024, the cost of these breaches will top $5 trillion.
While the COVID-19 virus is a relatively new outbreak, it has already affected businesses around the world. The virus has also opened a new pathway for cybercriminals who target businesses in the healthcare industry. Additionally, hackers are targeting the unemployed and remote workers, increasing the overall cost of data breaches. In fact, a single data breach in the healthcare industry costs nearly $1 million more than a breach in a traditional office.
Organizations are now forced to re-evaluate their security policies and plan accordingly. Physical and digital systems will need to be rebooted, and data access rights will need to be analyzed. In addition, organizations may need to invest in insurance against cyberattacks. These efforts will require security leaders to share lessons learned during the crisis and review current security solutions for scalability.
Security breaches are becoming more expensive, according to a recent study by IBM Security. The cost of security incidents grew by 10% in the past year, and more organizations are now vulnerable. This is largely due to increased data breaches in the healthcare sector and the rise in remote interactions between patients and providers.
Equifax
In the months of May and July 2017, Equifax was the victim of a massive data breach. The hack affected records of more than 147 million Americans, 15.2 million British citizens, and over 19,000 Canadians. It is one of the most serious cybercrimes in recent memory, as it made it possible for hackers to access personal information of many people.
The data breach was first discovered when Equifax failed to update its Struts application. The breach lasted for 76 days, and it took Equifax two months to discover it. In that time, hackers installed one or more web shells and struggled to get through firewalls and other security framework elements. This allowed an additional group of illegitimate users to enter the network. These individuals used 30 different web shells under different addresses to gain access to personal information about Equifax users.
It is unclear how the attackers got access to the data, but it is possible they used a scanning tool to find an unpatched Equifax server. They may not have realized the value of the data, and then sold their foothold to more sophisticated attackers who used techniques typically associated with Chinese state-sponsored hackers.
Equifax is offering affected consumers up to $20,000 in compensation for their losses, and out-of-pocket expenses. Moreover, affected consumers can also claim up to $25 per hour for the time they spent coping with the data breach, up to twenty hours. While the settlement process has not started yet, consumers can sign up to be notified of new developments.
Yahoo
The Yahoo data breach is one of the biggest data breaches in history. Recently, the company disclosed that it had been a victim of two major breaches in 2016. The first breach occurred in October 2015, and the second one happened in January 2016. In both cases, users’ private information was stolen. The breach affected more than one billion accounts. The company’s founders have since apologized for the breach and vowed to take action. However, the company is still trying to recover from the problem.
The full scope of the cyber attack is still unknown, but the data stolen included full names, birth dates, email addresses, and security question-and-answer pairs, which were created by users to authenticate their accounts. While most passwords were encrypted, a large number of accounts were still at risk. As a result, the company has reduced the price of its acquisition by Verizon by $350 million.
While Yahoo claims that it has taken the necessary steps to protect users’ data, the company has been hacked multiple times over the past few years. It has lost four of its chief information security officers in a short span of time. The company also recently suffered a massive breach in 2012, in which 450,000 people’s non-encrypted passwords were stolen. Yahoo’s security efforts have lagged behind other large tech companies. In many cases, making computer systems more secure means making products more complicated and slower to use. This was the case with Yahoo, which took a long time to respond to the problem.
Users who are potentially affected should freeze their accounts to prevent any new account openings. Users should also make sure that their accounts are secured with passwords that they can change at any time. Moreover, they should also change their passwords on any other accounts they may have. Furthermore, it is important to use unique passwords for all sensitive accounts.
