The risk of data breach doesn't only pose a threat to data security but can also compromise on organization reputation. While we couldn't get over the major cyber crimes held in the previous year, this year added big names such as Reddit, Bloomingdale's, and Macy's in the list of breach victims too. Compromised organization data may result in the loss of millions through sensitive data and private records. It may not only affect the organization directly but also affect people whose information have been stolen. In the fast-paced world that we live in today, it's foolish to expect everything to operate smoothly. Data breaches are growing with each year and organizations are looking for more reliable measures to prevent the criminal activity that causes them massive losses.
There are many ways hackers can access your system, and each contributes towards the potential threat of data breach. This is where information security training comes in. Having your own team of professionals trained for information security can help prevent and protect corporate data against potential data breach instances.
Potential Data Breach Threats
According to an article released by the Business Insider, there are more than 2,500 new cases of cyber crimes, including ransomware and malware. The estimated cost of these attacks summed up to over $24 million. The threat to information security is present in various forms. The main goal is to access the system and cease all the sensitive information available on the network to trouble the business owners. With such statistics, it is natural why every business - whether small or big - would want to straighten up its data security measures.
Computer Virus
According to statistics, more than 50 percent of the computers in the US were at least once infected by a virus. The virus is, in fact, the most common way criminals try to commit a data breach. The small software is designed to spread across the network as it infects one of the systems. This is why larger organizations with more machines interconnected through a system are at a higher risk of a data breach through a computer virus. Once infected, your computer can be accessed by the hackers to steal data and lock you out of the system. You tend to lose your data records and information assets until you decide on a settlement with the hackers to get the code back.
Malware
Malware is a kind of malicious software that can infect your system in different ways. Malware cases often end up at ransomware, where hackers demand money to provide you your access back to your computer network. Just like the virus, malware is also quite common and is pretty hard to detect. Your in-house employees can take care of such issues if they are trained to detect and prevent threat against corporate data through data security training.
Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse is a threat to data security because the program is infected with tons of viruses. This one's pretty hard to guess because it appears quite legitimate. Once you let a Trojan horse into your system network, it can be used by cybercriminals for various activities including stealing sensitive and important data and logging keystrokes. Hackers are updating their cybercriminal activities, and methods to get these viruses on a computer network, which is why having a trained professional IT team on board is important for guidance and decisions making for information security system.
Rogue Security Software
It is very common to witness several popups advertising updates and security alerts when using the internet. Generally, there are links on the ads that proceeds the program installation. In most cases, hackers plant these popups and connect them to rogue security software. If you download the program or click on the link, it will usually end up in a malware infection. An IT team equipped with the right knowledge and skills can take strong security measures and get the network safeguards to adjust in places to avoid such viruses.
Worms
Another small yet dangerous piece of software are the worms. They are programmed to easily copy itself from one system to another without human permission or interaction. The worms can easily and quickly replicate themselves and can infect all the computers connected with the business network in a few hours. A team of trained individuals may consider installing reliable antivirus software to detect these worms and protect the systems from any data breach.
Botnet
Most malicious software designed to compromise an organization's data asset are often interconnected. For instance, a botnet is a group of computer systems that are used by a hacker via Trojan horse virus. The hackers set up a group of zombie computers that could carry out different types of nefarious online activities. Generally, these are directed towards sending out malicious, spam emails to the customers and contacts associated with each computer to access information.
The Consequences
As far as the consequences are concerned, they are increasing and becoming severe with time. Failure to get a notification delay the response that could protect corporate data against potential data breach possibilities. Since most malicious software and attack programs are not easy to identify, the company faces severe loss at the hands of cybercriminals. Keeping the type and sensitivity of the data at risk, the organization may face a major reputation threat as well.
How to Reduce Risk
In addition to keeping up with proactive data security measures in place, you must also consider implementing a data-centric solution that gives you more control over your data assets and their privacy. Limit access of authorities to selected data and use encryptions to control its security. Last but not least, train your team with the right information security knowledge to enable them to make wise and prompt decisions to protect corporate data by all means. By implementing the right tools and applications, an organization can significantly reduce the risk of potential data breach and avoid the costs associated with it in the long run.