Data Breaches - Everyone is game

A data breach exposes an unauthorized individual to private, sensitive, or safe information. The data breach files are accessed and exchanged without authorization.

To avoid loss or theft of sensitive information, businesses must ensure that data is properly secured. If a breach has occurred, businesses may need to alert individuals as well as face the detrimental effects of ruining the reputation and consumer satisfaction of the company.

Companies may face penalties of up to EUR 20 million or 4% of their annual turnover under the General Data Protection Regulation. The risk of data breaches can be minimized by implementing a variety of best practices:

i. Train workers to follow best practices, be mindful of the value of data protection and how to prevent errors that might lead to breaches. Knowledge of confidential data and protection should be a part of the culture of the business.

ii. Make sure the software is constantly modified and patched to prevent weak spots for hackers to access.

iii. Conduct vulnerability assessments to examine and fix any data security changes or new threats. Consider all things, such as data storage and remote employee access, and make sure sufficient policies and procedures are in effect.

iv. Having a third party conduct a risk assessment provides an objective and external view of the existing breach threats. To decrease the risk of a breach, a data protection expert can advise on the best solutions specific to each business. This also shows a serious purpose to protect the data.

v. There is a need to encrypt personal data, including those provided to workers on work laptops. The data can be backed up to remote providers using the Internet instead of using backup tapes that can be lost or stolen.

vi. When collaborating with other businesses who should handle the data of your customers, ensure that they also have appropriate data protection systems in place.

Prevention of data breaches needs to include everybody at all levels from end-users to Its staff, and everyone in between.