Cyber Attacks – Is Anyone Safe?
Let’s Talk About IT
Imagine waking up to your alarm in the morning only to find everything you own has completely vanished, the only thing remaining is the bed you were sleeping in. This is what is must feel like to have your network compromised by unauthorized users. Vulnerable?
Technology has come a long way in a sense that today most people rely on technology and may not even realize its impact on their everyday lives. Think about it for a moment, pretty much everything we own is a piece of technology. Like coffee? I am sure that you are not smashing the beans with your hands, pouring boiling hot water, and manually straining it so that you can enjoy that cup of joe! Of course not, that is good old technology making sure that you have your morning caffeine!
The loss of data can build a sense of mistrust.
Wait, who was breached?
With all good things bad things are sure to come into existence, and with that, we have the birth of cyber attacking. Technology relies on machines to increase both its abilities and its capabilities, but it also makes technology subject to unauthorized access. A data breach can be detrimental to an organization, especially if the breached information is sensitive data or personally identifiable data, otherwise known as PII. No customer wants to have their information illegally intercepted and when such occurs, the organization loses credibility to its customers, almost always.
A recent data breach, perhaps the most talked about breach of 2020, can only make me feel that no one is safe from the attacks that occur in the cyberworld. The US Treasury? Wow. I am quite positive that most of the world is wondering how this could even be possible, but me, I am not surprised at all. Cyber criminals go for the “gold” when planning their breaches, and what better agency to hold under your belt of breached organizations than the US Government? USA, hacked by foreign hackers (potentially from Russia) at a time when the US is transitioning its most powerful seat, the President of the United States, this event is sure to go down in history.
With the FBI and the CISA investigating this incident, details on compromised information remains tight lipped, although some reports have indicated that there may have been compromised email accounts. There will be more information available as the investigation continues.
Protect yourself and your data.
Preventative Measures, Tips and Tricks
With the world’s most prominent government vulnerable to loss of data or breached data, trust me little old me and you can certainly be compromised with our information lost or shared. The best way to avoid this scenario is to utilize tools that play a role in protecting your data:
- Email filtering software (filters out potentially harmful emails)
- Malware scanners and corrective software ensure that your PC or mobile device checks for malicious malware on a regular basis, removing compromised and malicious files from your device.
- Take courses to inform yourself and your employees on phishing, conduct your own research. Understand what phishing is and what to look for so that ultimately you know when not to click)
- Create unique passwords for each of your user accounts and avoid replicating passwords for different accounts. Many users make this mistake and trust me, criminals are aware of that!
While there is never a rock-solid way to prevent becoming a victim to a cyberattack, taking actions like the steps above definitely lowers your risk.
Stay safe out there, after all, tis the season of vulnerability! Happy Holiday’s!
