Data Breach Archives

We often come across the word “Data” which means information. It could be anywhere between your most personal to general information. This is the basic description of data. However, data privacy can be crucial to maintain these days. In this blog, I will explain to you what data privacy is and why is it significant. I will also outline the consequences of poorly managed data privacy. Let’s start with the basics of data privacy then gradually I will expand the topic. What Is Data Privacy? Data privacy refers to the actions taken to keep your information secure, and private. It comprises different laws, notices, user consent, and regulations to manage the collection and circulation of users’ data.Since most of our data is dealing online today, therefore practices and tools for data privacy have been drastically changed. In the digital world, we have the right to choose how private we want our data to be. We have privacy policies right there to allow companies to violate our privacy rights (not a great thing for sure). Also, we use various apps along with customized settings and privacy options to control. The worse part begins when we start to click “Proceed” without clearly reading privacy policies. What happens when we click “Yes I agree” without reading the terms and conditions of a company is what I will explain later in this blog. Why Data Privacy Is Important? There was a time when a lot of businesses overlooked data privacy. Consequently, they experienced a lot of fraudulent and criminal attempts. Most of the organizations had lost their customers and many fell victim to severe data breaches. Therefore data privacy is important to keep your information safe and private from intruders. Data Privacy Violation-How Things Turn Bad? We share most of our private information online. Signing in passwords, credit card numbers, email, phone numbers, and sharing other stuff online is quite common these days, and this is exactly where the risk begins. If you’re not using a secure network then cyber attackers can steal your personal data by various tricks. Some of the most common cyber attacks to steal users’ data are: IP spoofing Phishing VishingPassword cracking Also, when you sign in to any website without reading terms and conditions, you clearly give rights to share your shared data to the third-parties. These third-parties could be anyone from companies to government. Websites sell your data and make money out of it and on the other hand, third-parties sell your data to further resources to target you for highly customized advertisements. This is how your data privacy violates and may lead you to a dangerous data breach. LinkedIn the Biggest Living Proof of Data Breach LinkedIn is now one of the biggest and most pragmatic platforms for professionals. However, things were not the same back then. In June 2012, LinkedIn got hacked and lost its 6.5 million user accounts. It is reported that the hacker stole all these accounts and as a total, it was a loss of 167 million account credentials. Things didn’t stop here, in fact, they got worse when the hacker posted the unique combinations of the users’ passwords and email on the Dark web(market place). It is also reported that the rate for the rob was almost 5 Bitcoins ($2300). Later on, the director of LinkedIn confirmed the incident and informed users regarding new security changes and instructions via email. LinkedIn users were also instructed to change and immediately update their account password. How to Maintain Data Privacy Maintaining data privacy is significant at all levels. Whether you’re a common user or an enterprise, keeping your data private is necessary. However, the privacy and security level may vary depending on your scale. If you are a company then you must use necessary precautions at a massive level. Keep a record of all your data, it means that you should have a strong backup of your data. Moreover, don’t forget to limit employee access to valuable assets and online records. Train your employees not to click any unknown online source as it can throw malware into the devices. It is also vital to regularly keep a check on your company’s data security system to identify vulnerabilities. Incorporate trusted data security tools to keep your data secure and private. Data Security Tools Data security tools are designed to keep your data safe and private. Anyone can utilize these tools to protect online data. First things first, find the best VPN to use in the USA or anywhere you’re living. A VPN encrypts your traffic and conceals your IP address. It means that no hacker can read or access your traffic or location and you can use the internet with complete anonymity. It is also advised to use a trusted antivirus software program. Antivirus programs perform regular scans and update you regarding malicious sources that ultimately reduce the risk of data leaks. Firewalls are also great to protect the network and data security. They immediately block suspicious sources and malicious software from entering your network. Besides deploying all the outlined tools, you can also enable two-factor authentication, frequently update account password and update social media privacy settings. I am pretty sure that if you’ll follow all the mentioned security measures then you will successfully keep your data private and secure. Conclusion Data privacy and security is the need of the hour. You must pay attention to whom you’re giving your information and how your information is being used. Also, integrate the latest data security tools and follow updated security instructions to keep your digital life safe and secure.

Data Breach

What Is Data Privacy and Why Is It Crucial?