While data breach is on the rise, the majority of incidents are fully preventable. Here five key ways to avoid being caught out - from one of our key insurers, Beazley:
1. Encrypt your devices
- Over 73 percent of the breaches serviced by Beazley in 2013 involving portable devices could’ve been prevented if the devices were encrypted.
- Encryption is a safe harbour under virtually every breach notification law.
2. Automate patch management
- From 2013 to August 2014, Beazley has seen a 20% increase in breaches due to malware or hacking.
- Staying on top of the latest available software patches and moving to automated patch management can protect against a breach.
3. Enforce password complexity
- In 2014, the breaches serviced by Beazley due to hacking or malware cost 4.5 times more than the largest loss category (unintended disclosure).
- Computer systems can now systematically cycle through all permutations of potential passwords.
- Don’t use “bad” passwords that are easy to crack… dictionary words are capable of being deduced with an algorithm.
4. Be alert to phishing
- From 2013 to 2014, Beazley has seen a 10 percent increase in breaches attributable to someone inside the company, either an employee or contractor.
- Most breaches occur because of human error. Training is a critical step in breach preparedness. It is important to train employees to spot the indicators of a phishing email.
5. Double check before hitting send
- Thirty-one percent of the breaches serviced by Beazley in 2013/2014 were due to unintended disclosure.
- It may be simple, but double-checking the contents of a file, email address or mailing details can really save – especially when sending data to outside vendors.
