There has been a consistent pattern of headlines in the news – “Firm X’s Data Breach Could Easily Have Been Prevented”. And these headlines are true; most of the data breaches that expose consumers’ personal information could easily have been prevented with some employee training. It turns out that four out of five data breaches are caused by human error. Below are four causes of data breach that are due to human error.
Not Updating Software
When a software developer releases a new version of their software or a minor update, it’s usually for security reasons. Minor changes to software can be due to a vulnerability that has been found and can potentially be exploited by hackers. To ensure that your organization is as secure as it can be, make sure that for all applications any updates install automatically so that there is one less thing that needs to be done.
Weak Passwords that Become Stolen
Commonly, weak or stolen passwords are one of the major causes of data breaches. This can be completely prevented if employees are required to change their passwords regularly. All passwords should contain as least one number, one uppercase letter, and one special character to ensure the enhanced strength of the password.
Unsecure Devices
Items like mobile devices, laptops, external hard drives, and flash drives can be at risk for theft which will inadvertently put the company at risk to exposing sensitive data. As previously stated, passwords should be used on every one of these devices to make them more secure, but they should never be left unattended to reduce the risk of theft.
Sharing Information with Criminals
Clearly, no honest employee would deliberately share sensitive information with the wrong parties but that’s why criminals have gotten so good at coaxing the valuable information out of the unsuspecting employees. Phishing emails that look like they are from a colleague or vendor are the most common way that criminals do this. It’s incredibly important to be vigilant to check who the email is truly coming from before doing a click on any link in the email because doing that can lead to a webpage that will collect all of the information that is inputted there. It’s a very dangerous crime that needs to be taken more seriously.
LibertyID is the leader in identity theft restoration, having restored the identities of tens of thousands of individuals without fail. If you retain personal information on your customers, now it is the time to get data breach planning and a response program in place with our LibertyID for Small Business data breach preparation program. With LibertyID Enterprise you can now add value to existing products, services, or relationships by covering your customers, employees, or members with LibertyID’s fully managed identity theft restoration service—at a fraction of our retail price—with no enrollment and no file sharing. We have no direct communication with your group members–until they need us.
Call us now for a no obligation proposal at 844-411-LIBERTY (844-411-5423).