Anyone who uses the Internet is aware of the threats and after effects of such technology. However, we still fail to follow a simple rule that can minimize these dangers.
Here is the simple rule: When you send information to a company or person, you are opening yourself up to the possibility of a data breach. With these breaches, the computers of those people can be breached, thus, there is a possibility of unauthorized access to your information. Since this can happen quite often, many people neglect to follow this rule of thumb. Under normal circumstances, this negligence is harmless and can even be helpful in securing the data. But when negligence leads to an error that can result in a breach, then people can feel regret for it later on.
For example, An employee of a large finance company was hacked into several months ago. Although the matter was not disclosed by the company, it was reported that the hacker was able to breach into several of the company’s databases that contain personal information of thousands of its employees. Since the said incident, the company has been forced to fire back unfortunately. The hacker was able to steal database information and passwords in this case by using aSQL injection attack.
Ways to avoid a data breach
When it comes to protecting your database from unauthorized access, the best option is to employ a web application firewall like ModSecurity. Another option would be using a technology like SSL encryption which is helpful in protecting the connection between a user and a website.
But while these may be good options, they are not challenges that can be easily overcome. Awareness training is also a key. Since one of the vulnerabilities exploited by the hacker was due to the employee not being aware of the threat, they were let go because of this.
Employees can also be too casual about the security. A recent study by Needham Information Services found that while IT specialists are more likely to take a security technology seriously, security policies were more likely to be ignored. The same study found that regardless of whether a company uses hardware or software, its employees are less likely to take security seriously if they feel their jobs are not that important.
So how were the employees protected? Were they trained? Was it in an official document? Had they been notified about the risk? Had they been trained for when they should and should not use the computer?
It’s a good idea to check for these things. But also realize that regardless of how strict you are, it is probably still not enough. Because even the most careful employees can still make a mistake. Moreover, some of the less careful employees may already be unaware of some of the latest risks.
So what are the real risks to your company and what can be done about them?The biggest risk is of course unauthorized access. IT professionals should ensure that this never happens.roprietary information is also of the utmost importance. Avoiding any misuse of company data and intellectual property ranging from copyright to patent is of utmost priority.In a lot of cases, company employees may bring news of the company’s misdeeds to the public through blogs or other social networking sites.Do your employees really know what they should and should not do on the job?
How can an IT professional protect the company from accidents and data breaches?
There are many ways an IT professional can protect your company from external and internal risks. What we will be discussing in this article is how you, as an IT professional can try to fight against these risks and ensure they are never a factor for your company.
Establishing a security policy
A security policy is a legal document that prevents illegal access to any of the company’s computers or networks. Expressing concerns about your company’s security rating and explaining why those concerns are legitimate is a good way to start a security policy. There are also many other strategies that are becoming more popular such as risk management strategies and disaster recovery. Many of these methods have been implemented by companies throughout the world and have successfully reduced many hackers point of attacks.
Let your users know what your security policy is and how their actions may affect the policy. Do not worry about over-reacting to every single email. Rather, be professional and collected about what you mean. Your statements should be short and to the point, powerful, and easy to remember. Your users will thank you for answering their questions honestly. While you may not gain from doing so, your users will thank you for the increased vigilance.
