One time during my freshman year of college, my computer got a virus, and I mistakenly called the number on my screen that said “call here to get help.” The operator on the other line answered the phone and asked if he could get access to my computer screen, which I granted him. Then he asked me if I could turn on my camera (hello, HUGE red flag), and my dumb-self agreed. He took a picture of my school ID and then commented on how I was really pretty… then, I was officially freaked out. I tried to turn my computer off and the person on the other side was fighting with my mouse to not turn it off. Finally, I got it shut down, closed my computer, and called my mom freaking out. Long story short, that was my personal security fail. For future refernece, don’t call the first number that you see on your screen.
Remember Equifax?
Even though technology is becoming more advanced and our security is advancing with it, security fails can still happen, and we should always be wary of them. In 2017 (only 3 years ago!), one of the biggest security fails happened. Equifax, a consumer credit reporting agency, announced that its security had been breached and approximately 147 million people had been affected. Hackers got access to private information such as customers’ names, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and dates of birth. Scary, right?
Imagine if you found out that some random hackers had access to all of your private information? How would you feel? I personally would have been so angry. I mean, don’t they have security that was supposed to prevent things like this from happening? It turns out that Equifax admitted that they knew in March of that year that hackers could potentially get access to all of that information but they failed to fix their security flaws.
How to prevent security breaches
Now that you have an example of a security fail, how can you prevent one? According to Lawtechnologytoday, one thing you can do is use only firm-based devices and systems. For example, make sure your employees aren’t using their personal emails; instead, use a work email. Another thing you can do is use the cloud. Cloud servers have a pretty high level of security but make sure you update your passwords frequently. (If you’re not connected to a secure cloud, Cresco can help with that!)
Additionally, Techsupportofmn recommends limiting access to your most valuable data. This helps lower the chances of more employees clicking invalid links that can lead to a security breach. Another major thing you should be doing is updating your software on a regular basis. You should be installing patches whenever you can and doing health checks on your software. An important thing that is good to note is that you should always be prepared for the worst. What would happen if your company had a security breach and you weren’t prepared for it because you thought you were safe? It’s questions like these we need to ask ourselves in order to stay one step ahead of the game.
All in all, while security breaches can happen, there are plenty of things you can do to help prevent them to keep your company, employees, and data safe. Prepare accordingly, and remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Don’t be like Equifax; if you’re in need of help with your security, contact Cresco today!
