Data theft is a serious problem that occurs when confidential or sensitive data is obtained without the owner’s permission. This can happen in a number of ways, including through hacking, phishing scams, or simply stealing devices that contain data. Data theft has increased in recent years as more and more people have access to data, either through their job or just because of the proliferation of devices that can store data. Business databases, desktops, laptops, smartphones, flash drives, and cameras are all potential targets for data thieves.
Data theft can have serious consequences for both individuals and businesses. Individuals may have their identity stolen, while businesses may suffer financial losses or damage to their reputation. Data theft is therefore a very serious issue that needs to be addressed.
Data theft is a huge problem for businesses all over the world. Not only does it present a security risk, but it can also lead to a loss of reputation and, of course, money. Unfortunately, corporate spying and competition often mean that people or groups of businesses are able to take advantage of others by stealing their data.
As a company, it’s important to take measures to prevent data theft from occurring. This means not only ensuring that your employees’ devices are secure, but also that they are not able to copy or share data on their personal gadgets, email accounts, or external drives. By taking these precautions, you can help to protect your company’s sensitive information.
- To prevent unauthorized users from accessing your business computers, create user accounts for each employee. Laptops are easy to steal; make sure they’re locked when they’re not being used.
- To ensure that your private information is kept safe from outside sources, enable your operating system’s firewall or purchase reliable firewall software.
- As technology advances, companies will become more vulnerable to cyber-attacks and data thefts.
Equifax – 2017
In July, 143 million consumers had their personal data, including social security numbers, stolen from the creditor Equifax. While 209 thousand people also had their credit card data exposed. The breach most likely started in May that year.
eBay – 2014
In 2014, eBay’s user data was compromised by hackers who gained access to the company’s servers using the passwords of three corporate employees. The hackers were inside the eBay servers for 229 days, during which time they were able to access names, addresses, dates of birth and passwords.
Phishing is a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as login credentials or credit card details by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. The latest trends in phishing delivery methods include fake login pages and fake third-party cloud applications designed to disguise themselves like legitimate apps.
- Email Scams
Email may still be the number one way that cybercriminals send phishing links to fake login pages in order to capture usernames, passwords, MFA codes, and more. However, users are increasingly clicking on phishing links that come through other channels – such as personal websites, blogs, social media, and search engine results. The also seems to be a rise in fake third-party cloud apps that are designed to deceit users into authorizing access to their cloud data.
- Web Sources
Webmail services, such as Gmail, Microsoft Live, and Yahoo, are traditionally considered the top phishing threat. Personal websites and blogs, particularly those hosted on free hosting services, are the most targeted to phishing content, claiming the top spot at 26%. Phishing is carried out through use of malicious links on legitimate websites and blogs, and specifically created websites and blogs to promote phishing content.
- Cloud Systems
A key phishing method to be aware of is when hackers trick users into granting them access to their cloud data and resources through fake third-party cloud applications. This is concerning because access to third-party applications is so widespread, and this type of attack can be difficult to spot. Be vigilant when granting access to any third-party applications and make sure you’re only using reputable sources.
- Social Media Campaigns linked to Websites
Big data scams are pretty common and usually involve creating websites that offer fraud recovery services. Here’s how it works: these websites extract personal information from victims first, then they post about the website on social media platforms and forums – especially in posts and threads where the recent data breach is in discussion. The scammers also join these forums and recommend the fraudulent websites as a solution in the pretext of social proof for enhancing credibility.
Customer Service Representative
Keep in mind that scammers are often very good at making themselves seem like someone you can trust – pretending they’re from a fraud department or related organisations and do it all to build authenticity. They do this in order to trick potential victims into thinking they’re trying to help make things better or safer. The victim may thus extend trust to the scammer without hesitation, leading to data share of even sensitive information.
- Online identity theft
Online identity theft can happen in a number of ways; for example, if you fall for a phishing email or scam, download malware onto your device, use an insecure wireless network, withdraw money from an ATM linked to a rigged device, or share your password with someone you don’t trust. Another way your information can be stolen is if there’s a data breach on a company, government, or educational site that stores your information.
How Phishing Works
- Just one click
It only takes one click to compromise an organization’s data – this is something that many people understand but unfortunately, it doesn’t stop them from falling for phishing scams. Even with increased awareness and training on the topic in enterprises, the report reveals that an average of eight out of every 1,000 end-users still click on phishing links or attempt to access phishing content.
- Luring through Legitimate looking pages
Attackers typically host malicious websites on content servers or newly registered domains. If users input personal information into a fake site, or grant it access to their data, attackers can capture usernames, passwords, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes.
- Luring Content
Attackers use fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) to design phishing scams and every new time. This technique is particularly successful in the Middle East where lures capitalize on political, social, and economic issues affecting the region.
- Identity Fraud
Identity fraud is a big problem in the United States, costing Americans a total of about $56 billion last year. About 49 million consumers fell victim to identity fraud last year, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated methods to steal their personally identifiable information. Identity fraud has evolved, and criminals are going to unexpected depths and measures to steal information.
Organisations can take the following actionable steps to identify and control access to phishing sites or applications:
- By deploying a secure cloud platform with a secure web gateway
- Enabling zero trust principles and continuous monitoring to reduce browsing risk for newly registered domains.
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