Data is unquestionably the most crucial component in any business or organization. In these challenging times, data security is a tightrope walk not only for data security heads but also for CEOs. As businesses grow, they are continuously confronted with issues that pose a significant threat to the business and, in some situations, the whole business economy. Companies are being forced to step up to the scale and bring the sanctions security on data breaches, and data leakages have become the norm in today’s environment. Many businesses are confronting the major data leaks of tens of thousands of employees, such as Facebook, Coca-Cola, etc.
In the past few years, it seems that data leaks through corporate confidential channels have increased, either intentional or unintentional. However, using the Internet without security measures and providing personal information to any digital platform can invite trouble. Therefore, using the proxy servers help you hide your personal information by providing spoofed IP addresses like a Facebook proxy masking the user’s IP address. When choosing proxy servers, make sure that the proxy service provider is trustworthy, reliable, and affordable such as Smartproxy.
Understanding Data leaks
Data leakage is the unauthorized transition of data from within an organization to an external destination or recipient. When sensitive data is mistakenly exposed physically, on the Internet, or in other ways, such as lost hard drives or laptops, it is referred to as a data leak. It means that a cybercriminal can easily acquire unauthorized access to sensitive data.
Data that is moved electronically or physically is referred to as “transferred data.” While the terms “data breach” and “data leak” are frequently used interchangeably, they refer to two distinct types of data exposure:
- When a successful attack can acquire sensitive information, it is referred to as a data breach.
- A data leak does not necessitate a cyber attack and usually results from weak data security practices or an individual’s unintentional action or deletion.
Recent Data Leaks
Facebook has failed to retain its own employee’s personal information. Recently, Facebook has lost a hard disc that contains the unencrypted payroll information of 29,000 of its employees. There is no evidence that stolen information is being used for fraudulent activities, but it might be possible to use it in cyberattacks. It also reported that the employee had not been authorized to bring the hard drive to their car or use the drive for any personal activities. The hard disc includes the employees’ names, phone numbers, social security numbers, bank account details, etc. It’s likely possible that the employee information may end up online somewhere.
On the other hand, a disgruntled Morrisons Supermarket employee, Andrew Skelton, uploaded the payroll data for Morrisons’ 99,998 employees online. The payroll data included the names, NI numbers, addresses, bank sort codes, bank account numbers, dates of birth, and genders. Morrisons was ‘vicariously’ accountable for the criminal activities of a rogue employee in revealing personal information, according to the employees who filed a complaint against Morrisons. Despite Morrisons establishing preventative measures, the employee is convicted of a criminal offense.
Data leakage Prevention
The data leakage is only prevented when the employee and the employer take security measures and make effective rules for data protection. Employees’ responsibility is to demand effective solutions to their own data protection. It will be up to your company and its employees to obey the rules on a daily basis. Whereas data protection varies from industry to industry, company to company, and even person to person.
On the other hand, most data leaks are caused by operational rather than typical cybersecurity issues. Cyber attacks do not cause data leaks, but they can take advantage of them. However, we listed down some of the core standards companies can follow to protect their data.
Validate Cloud Storage Configurations
As cloud storage becomes more widely used, the amount of data transported in and out of the cloud grows exponentially. Cybercriminals can reveal sensitive data in an unprotected bucket if necessary policies are not followed. This is why you must authenticate cloud storage settings before and after they are deployed to hold sensitive data. Continuous validations reduce the risk of public data exposure and inform you proactively.
Automate Process Controls
Validation becomes challenging to authority at a large scale data transmitted every day in an organization. If the data is manually checked, not only will it take a longer time, but it will also be subject to several levels of human errors. Computers are significantly better than humans at preserving consistency. Automated process controls should operate as executable documentation to verify that all cloud storage remains protected.
Monitor Third-Party Risk
Your employee has the same ability to expose your confidential information, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Even if you do not reveal your employee and customers’ data, you will be responsible in the eyes of your employees and customers. Therefore, cyber security and information risk management are equally crucial in-house data protection.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, there have been incidents where employees’ confidential information has been leaked by employers when compromising on internal data security. Instead of raising awareness about the risks of communication and data leaks throughout your company, employers penalize or terminate such personnel. This tactic results in the loss of valuable talent and puts a bad influence on employee morale. Therefore, it’s important to raise your concerns about the data on social media platforms against those firms. If you don’t want to declare yourself against them, use a Facebook proxy that hides your digital footprint.
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