Prediction for 2013: Your Data Will Be Hacked
Posted: January 14, 2013
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f you're in the position of storing your customer's sensitive data, you need to take steps to protect them, and yourself from security breaches. Don't let hackers destroy the customer confidence you've worked hard to build.
If you're in the position of storing your customer's sensitive data, you need to take steps to protect them, and yourself from security breaches. Don't let hackers destroy the customer confidence you've worked hard to build.
What do Zappos, eHarmony, TripAdvisor, the University of North Carolina, the Utah Department of Health and RSA Security have in common? All have experienced data breaches in the last year or so. If you are like a lot of organizations that think “that will never happen to us,” think again:
- Most data breach victims fell prey because they were found to possess an (often easily) exploitable weakness, not because they were pre-identified for attack. (2012 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon Business)
- In a 2010 study, 46% of lost laptops contained confidential data, only 30% of those systems were encrypted and only 10% had other anti-theft technologies. (The Billion Dollar Lost Laptop Study, Ponemon Institute and Intel Corp.)
- Through 2016, the financial impact of cyber crime will grow 10% per year due to the continuing discovery of new vulnerabilities. (Gartner Top Predictions for 2012: Control Slips Away, Gartner)
- Deliberate breaches mainly target customer-related information, primarily because it can be used for fraud. (Internet Security Threat Report Volume 17, Symantec)
- The average total cost per company that reported a breach in 2011 was $5.5 million. (2011 Cost of a Data Breach: United States, Ponemon Institute and Symantec)
So what do all these numbers tell us? That no sector is immune and being hacked or having data stolen is not a matter of if, but when. The decisions and pressures on an organization when its network is compromised and personal data is accessed are overwhelming. The clock starts ticking right away and in this world of 24/7 media, a slow, unsure response can be deadly.
Advance planning is key and many of the communications tools you will need can be drafted in advance and fine-tuned when something happens. Although it can be difficult to make the case to budget-conscious CEOs, spending dollars up front on communications planning and training will save money in the long term and help avoid a devastating reputational hit.
Here are five guidelines to get you started.
Read the entire article Prediction for 2013: Your Data Will Be Hacked, at PRNews.
Biz Tip Provided by Tammy Sapp, Business Development/Communications Director