It is becoming commonplace to hear of big security breaches. Consumers wonder how this keeps happening. It would seem like every company should be taking their data security very seriously. 

After all, a data breach typically costs millions of dollars and tarnishes the company’s reputation. 

What are data breaches ?

A data breach exposes confidential, sensitive or protected information to an unauthorized person. The files in a data breach are viewed or shared without permission. 

Anyone can be at risk of a data breach, from individuals to high-level companies , organizations and gouvernements. More importantly, anyone can put others at risk if they are not protected. 

In general, data breaches happen due to weaknesses in technology and user behavior. 

As our computers and mobile devices get more connective features, there are more places for data to slip through. New technologies are being created faster than we can protect them.

However, even if the backend technology was set up perfectly, some users will likely still have poor digital habits. All it takes is one person to compromise a website or network. Without comprehensive security at both the user and enterprise levels, you are almost guaranteed to be at risk.

Protecting yourself and others starts with understanding how a data breach occurs.

How does data breach happen ?

• Lost or Stolen Devices : An unencrypted and unlocked laptop or external hard drive,  anything that contains sensitive information goes missing.

•  A Malicious Insider : This person purposely accesses and/or shares data with the intent of causing harm to an individual or company. The malicious insider may have legitimate authorization to use the data, but the intent is to use the information in nefarious ways.

• Malicious Outside Criminals : These are hackers who use various attack vectors to gather information from a network or an individual.

• An Accidental Insider : An example would be an employee using a co-worker’s computer and reading files without having the proper authorization permissions. The access is unintentional, and no information is shared. 

However, because it was viewed by an unauthorized person, the data is considered breached.

Types of data breaches

• Physical breach 

A physical breach involves the physical theft of documents or equipment containing cardholder account data such as cardholder receipts, files, PCs, and POS systems. It can also be referred to as corporate espionage, and items at risk include:

• Laptop and Desktop Computers

• External hard drive

•  Any other technologies that may contain cardholder data such as Point-of-Sale Equipment (Standalone Dial-Up Terminals).

•  Any other physical asset that may contain cardholder data, including hard-copy bills, faxes, credit card receipts, or blank checks. 

Preventing this type of attack can be done with security and access control measures. Always remember to destroy devices once they are no longer in use. Forgotten hard drives and old computers that pile up in a storage closet are ripe for physical breaches, and oftentimes no one even notices when they are stolen.

• Electronic breach 

An electronic breach is an unauthorized access or deliberate attack on a system or network environment where cardholder data is processed, stored, or transmitted.

This can be the result of acquiring access via web servers or websites to a system’s vulnerabilities through application-level attacks.

For example, data breaches often affect the healthcare industry because gaining access to these networks exposes a wealth of private patient billing information.

What’s the best way to protect your organization? Many experts agree that it’s critical for businesses using electronic media to encrypt their information, making it difficult to decipher in the case that someone gains unauthorized access.

Encryption works for files on active machines, but it’s important to adopt the use of hard drive shredding and electronic media destruction prior to disposing of electronic devices too. Encryptions can be hacked, a shredded hard drive can’t expose anything.

• Skimming 

Skimming involves the capture and recording of magnetic stripe data on the back of credit cards. This process uses an external device that is sometimes installed on a merchant’s POS without their knowledge.

Skimming can also involve a dishonest employee utilizing an external device to collect the card’s magnetic stripe data. These identity thieves collect data and use it to create counterfeit credit and debit cards.

Here a few guidelines for minimizing the potential for skimming:

– Closely monitor the handling of cards when employees have frequent physical possession of credit cards out of view of the cardholder.

– Closely monitor activity on Point-of-Sale terminals and PIN-pad devices.

– Regularly check equipment for attached skimming devices or evidence of tampering.

– Ensure you are not using a known vulnerable Point-of-Sale terminal or PIN-pad device by contacting your credit card processing service provider.

How to prevent Data breach

Data Breach prevention needs to include everyone at all levels , from end-users to IT personal and all people in between. 

Here are a few best practices to avoid a data breach : 

• High-grade encryption for sensitive data.

• Enforcing BYOD security policies, like requiring all devices to use a business-grade VPN service and antivirus protection.

• Enforcing strong credentials and multi-factor authentication to encourage better user cybersecurity practices. 

•  Educating employees on best security practices and ways to avoid socially engineered attacks.

• Create a policy that describes how employees should handle, dispose of, retrieve, and send data.

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