BotNet News

Data Breach is a cybersecurity incident that exposes personal information, intellectual property or business data to cyber criminals. This type of attack can occur via multiple avenues, including hacking, stolen credentials, social engineering, unpatched applications and malware infections. Once breached, the damage caused by a data breach can be devastating for organizations and their customers.

For individuals, the most damaging impact is identity theft. Cyber criminals can use your data to open credit lines, purchase products and create fraudulent accounts. Data breaches can also result in hefty fines and lost revenue for businesses. In addition, the negative publicity that surrounds a data breach can destroy brands and cause long-lasting financial problems.

Regardless of the size of your organization, you are at risk for data breaches if you are handling sensitive information. The best defense is a solid data security plan that includes deploying layered security and monitoring all devices, networks and apps for any signs of attack.

Stolen Credentials

Cyber criminals are constantly on the hunt for compromised credentials, and they are able to use tools to crack passwords in a matter of seconds. They can use brute force attacks to work through all possibilities for your username and password until they find the right one. These tools are readily available in the darknet and through malware infections.

Attackers can also exploit unpatched vulnerabilities in your network infrastructure, internal applications and third-party software. For example, the Equifax data breach in 2017 exposed personal information of 143 million people, and hackers were able to access information such as names, addresses, birth dates, drivers’ license numbers and Social Security numbers.