in Data Security
In year with rampant security breaches, two of this past week’s revelations proved that we could still be shocked by the level of threats from exposed photos, business operations and personal info.
(Don’t) smile! Celebrities and financial systems seem to be making a similar strategic mistake. (Image: "PappLosAngeles" by Blackbow17 - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.) Over the last week, we’ve seen a massive spill of private pics from celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst from what is believed to be lame passwords attached to email and personal cloud accounts. On the business side, major banks revealed gigabytes of customer checking, savings and other personal information may have been “siphoned” from a mix of complex data system intrusions and easily discovered loopholes from outdated computer software.
There is a nearly incomprehensible amount of information leaked out from these two very different data exposures. What strikes me most beyond the tawdry pics and gigabytes are the reasons these security problems are the same. This isn’t a loose attempt to lump together saucy celebrity pics and enterprise software woes. Rather, it’s to note that your information – personal, financial or otherwise – is under threat and at risk from a range of sources. Yet, too often we see acceptance of one method to protect information.
One layer of data security is not better than nothing. In light of today’s security threats, one layer is just as bad as none. Multiple methods of defense are the only way to safeguard ourselves, regardless of whether “we” are a Wall Street financial behemoth or selfie posing celeb. For certain, finding the right layers of defense is a more involved process than merely saying so. It starts with a change in mindset. Gone are the days of believing in one option or checkbox to keep our business or personal data safe. And there is no acceptance that we’re powerless to protect against these risks.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll share practical strategies on a defense-in-depth approach to protect from the three main sources of threats – what we like to call “snoops, thieves and idiots.” In the meantime, let us know which data protection problems are most challenging for you or most vexing to read about.
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