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4 Symptoms Of Weak Corporate Data Security

How strong is your corporate data security? Did you consider assessing your risk and mitigating your vulnerabilities before a hacker exploits any holes in your security? Prevention is the best medicine and that’s why it is important for corporations to remain agile and stay ahead of the curve.

 

Hackers are targeting organizations of all sizes in record numbers. More than 5 billion private records were exposed in 2018 from security breaches. Many might have been prevented by using pro-active tools to monitor and protect their data.

While you can audit and adapt to new threats the arise, the cost can be sizeable for mitigating the problem after the fact. You have the power to take a pro-active approach to your security strategy as we review 4 symptoms of weak corporate data security.

 

Falling Behind With Your Technology

Technology is constantly evolving. With all the different pieces of equipment in your organization, it’s easy to fall behind in tech. When you add in mobile, BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices), remote workers, and cloud-based computing, it’s not hard to see how companies fall behind. Every piece of software that isn’t running the most current version exposes your data and your company to a breach.

Manufacturers regularly update operating systems and other software when exploits become known. That can help stop future attacks from being successful. However, almost 50 percent of smartphones are operating without the most recent OS update currently. Multiple studies have found known 0 and unpatched – vulnerabilities in popular apps. One study showed that half of all apps tested had at least one major vulnerability that violates National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommendations or Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Mobile Top 10 critical security risks.

It’s not just the obvious targets either. With the advent of IoT (Internet of Things), more devices can be targeted. Security cameras, routers, sound monitors, phone systems, heating and cooling systems, and voice-enabled devices such as Alexa or Google Home have been hacked. If these devices are attached to your Wi-Fi network, it can be problematic.

Shield offers pro-active corporate cyber security solutions including data security, mobile, and IP monitoring along with automated penetration tests.

 

Falling Behind With Your Security Policies

As your company’s technology evolves and grows, new policies need to address the new ways people are communicating. When you add in smartphones and apps, social media and employees working from home, remote workers, or third-party solutions, it can get complicated.

Whenever a new piece of tech, a new vendor, or a new software solution is installed, data and access policies should be reviewed. Each touch point can expose a vulnerability. We’ve seen example after example where companies allowed cybercriminals to breach their systems because of lax security policies or failing to put usage rules in place for their teams.

Do you have a policy to address single sign-in systems? Using a single sign-in system for different apps make it easier for users. However, It also makes it easier for cybercriminals to get into your stuff when they gain access to your universal credentials. Facebook recently announced third-party apps had access to credentials that meant the breach of between 50 and 90 million Facebook accounts. Since many people in your organization use social media via mobile or otherwise… hackers could have accessed any account where you use that sign in.

Do your policies, procedures, training, and security measure prevent file-less attacks? Hackers are no embedding malicious code. An email may pass through Microsoft Office 365 or Gmail security filters because the email itself looks OK but attempting to open the document or PDF file redirects to a spoofed login landing page that resembles the real deal.

Shield SDE and Mobile App security control usage with end-to-end monitoring of file access flow and encrypted vault. Even if the bad guys get into your system, they won’t be able to access or use the data. It prevents file exfiltration, leakage, malware, and ransomware.

 

Relying On Training

Training your team on proper cybersecurity practices is important but you can’t rely on it to prevent problems. Your single biggest security weakness is human.

More than 90 percent of data breach reports have been tracked back to email phishing attacks. Even when people have been trained properly what to look for, it’s still too tempting to click on a link, open a malicious attachment, or fall for a spoofed email address.

That’s why you need a pro-active solution that catches security issues before they happen so that people can’t accidentally act on a phishing email and open your system up to malware, ransomware, or expose sensitive data. Shield has innovative, active, and pro-active cybersecurity solutions that include email and digital fax encryption to protect your data.

 

Waiting For Breaches To Occur

Waiting for problems to emerge before conducting a serious threat assessment is risky. That puts you in the position of remediation rather than prevention.

Once a breach happens, you may lose control of your data. There can be significant financial consequences.

There is also the risk of losing trust and credibility with your customers. Recent law changes in Canada and in the European Union now make mandatory disclosure of breaches in certain circumstances which means you won’t be able to keep it quiet. When customers learn their data has been exposed, your reputation can be hurt. In addition, laws such as Canada’s Data Breach Reporting Requirements, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and California’s CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) require specific monitoring and reporting along with security procedures. Penalties for failure to comply can be significant on their own.

Shield provides a suite of tools that can address security requirements as part of your compliance programs.

 

Practice A Pro-Active Mindset

When it comes to corporate cybersecurity and corporate data security, you must have a pro-active mindset. You can not afford to wait until security breaches are discovered to take action. By then the damage has been done and you’re shifting into what can be a prolonged and expensive recovery mode. Shield’s Active Cybersecurity technologies provide for pro-active prevention of network and data breaches, network security, email and digital fax encryption, and active monitoring for IP hijacking

Tackle corporate data challenges before they become a problem. Trust Shield’s arsenal of proprietary data protection & network security solutions to aid in the fight against data evildoers. Contact our experts about adding Shield to your corporate cybersecurity arsenal today.

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