Hacking is no longer for teenagers who want to play shenanigans online. Hacking is now a business for profit, and it’s even a political tool. In 2014, Sony Pictures found out what hackers can do when political hackers breached private emails and threatened to expose them if Sony released the movie “The Interview.” The threats halted release and forced Sony to turn to Google YouTube.
Google is known for having some of the brightest minds in IT. Even with its massive infrastructure, Google had to take extra precautions to defend against malware and DDoS attacks should the original hackers decide to retaliate. Luckily, attackers were unable to affect Google, but this is partially due to their staff of IT experts.
As an individual or even a small business, Google’s massive resources aren’t available. Hackers are clever, and they find new ways to infiltrate even some of the best security measures. Most security systems are weak, and even worse corporations don’t think of themselves as targets and skimp on the right infrastructure to protect from even the least sophisticated attacks.
Because many businesses think it won’t happen to them, their knowledge of cyber security is poor. They might even fail to hire an expert to protect the network. This leads to a terrible situation where the business and its future is susceptible to a cyber attack. Only until after it happens do people realize the importance of cyber security.
In a Google study, security experts mainly update software for basic protection. This basic protection wasn’t even on the radar for non-experts, and software upgrades are a prime reason why networks are susceptible to malware. Without even the basic protections in place, several businesses are open to attacks, which can lead to data breaches for their customers. After the Equifax breach, it’s more important than ever that businesses protect their user data from exposure.
According to experts, every organization needs to make security a priority. Educate users. Educate staff. If IT is not up to speed on cyber security, it’s especially important to educate them in the latest threats and what can be done to mitigate them. Monitoring systems should be put in place in case something goes unnoticed.
Without the right security methods in place, your organization could be facing a major data breach, which can completely destroy its reputation and leave your customers facing identity theft.
The way to avoid insider threats is to properly monitor your network. Without the right tools in place, your critical data could be exposed — not from an outsider — from an employee who nefariously accesses private data.