According to the well-known antivirus company Malwarebytes, 2018 was the year of the data breach. Many great companies were hacked; great tech companies, retailers, and hospitality providers, and that is only the data captured by the Malwarebytes.
It is hard to know what a data breach is, and what to do. On many occasions, the company does not know they have been hacked until years later, making this a big issue for the security of the company. By the time any company is able to target the issue and find the right technician to fix it, the damage is already done. Not only will they have caused a problem inside your digital footprint, but they now have access to any information they may have gotten from the breach.
Two years have passed from 2018, companies have improved their online security, many online breaches have allowed spyware software to understand the issue, and tackle it better. However, to understand it better, someone has to take the fall. Do not let your company be the unlucky one to fall for it, there are plenty of security awareness companies that will make a digital wall strong enough to keep your database safe.
So what exactly are you in danger of losing. Most cybercriminals do not want to simply ruin your company, they hack in for a more specific purpose. Data breaches normally involve stolen names, email addresses, usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers. While this may not directly bring your business down, any data could be sold, used to breach other accounts, and even steal your identity.
Here are a few ways a data breach could occur, and what to do.
1. A Bug Inside Your Software
If your software has any bugs or vulnerabilities, cybercriminals will be able to spot them. These lie inside the code of your software, any vulnerability will allow a hacker to gain unauthorized access to a system and its data. These bugs inside your software can be patched, and with the right company not only will you be able to fix them, but you will do it in time to avoid any casualties.
All of our products, sales, and marketing happens through the internet. With many hackers targeting big systems such as internet browsers, Adobe applications, and Microsoft Office applications, are easier for criminals to attack software created inside these systems. Since your company was most likely built around one of these, it is not a bad idea to find a company you can trust with your data breach investigation.
2. SQL Injection
Ranked as one of the dumbest cyber threats that work anyways, SQL injections exploits the weaknesses of any database management software. Meaning, a simple code can cause your site to malfunction and give out information it is not supposed to. Here is how it works.
A hacker will write code and place it into the search field, where normally you would write “best online jewelry stores”. This code then, instead of bringing up the information, it pulls up the personal information of the customers looking into the stores. This means, if their code was meant for jewelry customers, any time someone purchased something from said store, the hacker had the information you used to buy it
3. Spyware
A spyware is a virus that tracks your computer usage. Unsafe websites sometimes have spyware in them that will download into your computer without your knowledge. This malware then stays active within your system. The applications you have downloaded, the websites you have visited, and any action related to your computer will be inside this spyware. This information then is sent to the command and control servers run by the cybercriminals.
The best way to avoid this is to find and download the right kind of cleaning application. Many companies focus on malware detection, and a simple extension could locate all malware and spyware inside your computer. For those companies that may not have the budget for a big cybersecurity company, an application like this will definitely help with your data breach investigation.
4. Phishing
While for some of us it seems irrational to give out personal information, certain attacks force you to doublethink and even convince you to willingly give the information. Often using normal logic and reasoning, phishing attacks are normally found inside fake emails or pop-ups that lead you to believe you are in trouble.
With aggressive language and social engineering, these attacks often target personal companies or stores you have a connection with and ask you to provide your information in order to stay in good terms with the companies. You will often see a message saying you need to confirm a purchase you have made, or that your computer is in danger. This appeal to our fears leads us to give the information, whether the danger is real or not.
5. Error in Website Administration
Misconfigured access controls could cause your website to place certain folders as public when they are supposed to be private. This is often an error in the placement of files inside a company. Let’s say this same jewelry company mentioned earlier wanted to put some folders as private since they may hold valuable information. Most likely the administrator has to create subfolders inside the big file, but forget to put these subfolders private as well. This may not be an issue for normal customers, meaning nobody will accidentally stumble across these folders, but an experienced hacker could easily find the misconfigured folders through well-crafted Google searches.
If you feel like your website is not safe enough there are a few ways to improve on safety. Reset your passwords across all websites and monitor your credit card accounts. If affected, consider a credit freeze and carefully review your inbox. Consider using credit monitoring services, and lastly use a multi-factor authentication system. Or simply conduct a data breach investigation.
These are all actions you can take yourself, and while it may keep your business safe, the bigger you get, the higher the risks are for any company. Consider finding a good company that is experienced in the field. They will not only keep you secure but will give you great insight and analysis about your companies’ online safety and security.
