It is no secret that criminals are getting smarter at using technology to their advantage. Unfortunately, that means your business could be the victim of a data breach left to face tremendous financial costs, lost customers and a damaged reputation. When word gets out that data was compromised at your business, it may take time to convince customers that it is safe to come back. (more…)
If your business suffers a data breach, you may see yourself as the victim. But there could be a different perspective for customers or employees whose data has been compromised. They may view you, the business owner, as responsible for not properly safeguarding their confidential information. Would your business be prepared for the related lawsuits? (more…)
When it comes to data security, a threat is any potential danger to information or systems. Threats could be an intruder network through a port on the firewall, a process accessing data in a way that violates the security policy, a tornado wiping out a facility, or an employee making an unintentional mistake that could expose confidential information or destroy a file’s integrity.
It’s critical for every business to understand their risk. An important step in data security is to identify potential threats, classify them by category, and evaluate the damage potential to the company. Use this checklist to understand common data threats and assess how they may affect your business: (more…)
Did you know that businesses are required to implement a set of security standards to protect credit card data?
Did you also know that banks and credit card companies can impose fines and penalties on your business if you fail to maintain these requirements? (more…)
A privacy breach that exposes sensitive customer information can be high-impact for all businesses. But it can be especially devastating for a small business, causing significant financial strain and irreparable harm to your reputation. So, what are the odds of a breach happening at your business? (more…)
Every business has an expectation to protect sensitive information, and every employee plays a key role in preventing cybersecurity incidents.
Below are five of the most common data security mistakes leading to data breaches. Employees should halt these practices immediately to reduce the likelihood of a breach.
A recent study analyzed 10 million passwords leaked in various data breaches throughout 2016. The most common password, once again, is ‘123456.’ A whopping 17% of users trust ‘123456’ to safeguard their online accounts! The study also found that four of the top 10 most common passwords were six characters or less. Brute-forcing techniques will have those passwords cracked in seconds.
Don’t fall into this trap. If your passwords are common and easy for you to remember, they’re likely to be easy for hackers as well. Use these password tips to keep your data secure. (more…)
Unfortunately, your business is never 100% protected from data breach crimes, so it’s important to be prepared to respond if you should become a victim. In the event of a data breach, businesses must comply with data breach notification laws. Although data breach notification laws vary by jurisdiction, generally businesses must notify consumers whose personal information has been compromised by a security breach.
Who is required to give notice? (more…)
Data breach is the exposure of customer information and it is becoming a more common (and frightening) occurrence. Could your business be the next victim, left to face tremendous financial costs, lost customers and lost reputation? Consider these common causes of data breach: (more…)
Data breach is the exposure of sensitive customer information due to hacking, theft or the accidental release of data. Business owners are expected to be custodians of customer information and have a reasonable expectation to protect their customers’ data. A privacy breach is impactful for all businesses, but it can be devastating for a small business without the resources of a larger corporation. In this four-part blog series, we share the top three data breach myths, eight tips to prevent data breach, how to react to a data breach, and how to protect your business from costly data breach damage.
For 20 days in late 2013, Target Corporation experienced one of the largest data breaches in American history. Hacked information included some 70 million customer names and 40 million credit and debit card numbers including the short verification codes on the back of compromised cards. In addition to forcing the retail giant to book a reported $61 million in direct costs related to the breach, it also scared customers away from shopping at their stores – which resulted in a 46% drop in net profit during the holiday quarter. Although the exact full costs of the breach are not yet known, security analysts have pegged the costs at upwards of $400 million.
A data breach can be even more impactful for a small business and cause irreparable harm to your company’s reputation. The cost of even a small breach can be wildly expensive. Typical costs can include: (more…)
