Every day, the news is filled with stories about hacker breaches and data exposures. Billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of terabytes of data have been compromised … it’s difficult NOT to be a little nervous.
But are you really at risk for Russian collusion? Are hackers really chiseling away at your backdoor, looking for any way in?
Maybe. But probably not.
Almost all vulnerabilities today are from known sources. Yet for some organizations, it’s the big attacks that have them running scared. Instead of worrying about prioritizing patches and strengthening controls, they focus in on the biggest threats. And that leaves data wide open to any mischief, criminal or otherwise.
What should you be focused on?
Technology with weak security - phones, tablets, watches - without a strong BYOD policy in place, your employees might be compromising your data.
Social media - what better way to find a way in then to connect with your employees through the sites they trust.
Outdated security software - investing in the latest and greatest should always be a priority. So should ensuring every computer uses it as soon as updates are available.
Mobile malware - we rely on mobile for access to just about everything. It’s the first place a would-be criminal will focus on.
Lack of encryption - the healthcare industry has specific rules in place to protect health data, yet if a machine accessing the data isn’t properly encrypted, it violates HIPAA laws.
Even though the severity of criminal behavior seems to change every year, the way they get in remains fairly flat. Dig to the bottom of many breaches, and you’ll find they revolve around one thing: human failure.
While it’s impossible for a business to protect itself from everything, with a stronger IT policy in place, you can eliminate the vast majority of vulnerabilities. And that gives you more effort to do what’s most important for your company.
For IT Strategy, Cloud Conversion, or Help Desk Services reach out to us at Silver Linings Technology 360-450-4759.
