Could just one negligent information technology worker crash a whole company? That’s what credit bureau Equifax is claiming, more or less. As has been reported, the credit bureau exposed the records of some 146 million Americans.
However, this huge cyber-breach was “because of the mistake of a single employee,” an executive told Congress, as The New York Times worded it. This IT worker “failed to heed security warnings and did not ensure the implementation of software fixes that would have prevented the breach.”
In short, apparently, this epic data theft comes down to an IT staffer not downloading fairly routine security patches.
A Culture Of Cybersecurity
It sounds like a thin excuse. Sure, we’ve all heard the saying about the chain being only as strong as its weakest link. That said, there should be no one weakest leak. The processes and policies should have been in place so that one person would be incapable by negligence (or even intent) to expose the entire security infrastructure.
The stakes involved in security couldn’t be higher. According to the Ponemon Institute’s research, on average:
- A data breach costs a company $3.6 million
- A breach involves 24,000 records
- Every lost/stolen record costs $141
Again, these are very high stakes, indeed.
Time For A Security Partner?
The reality is that any business, especially one that makes its money in data, must have a culture that creates security redundancy. Think of aviation. It’s a sad truth — but if airlines ran their plane operations the way most companies handle customer data, nobody would fly. That’s why even the best ace pilots rely on checklists before the plane even taxies on to the runway.
To make its security investments pay, every company must have a set of policies and procedures it adheres to. This means having a document outlining what devices and apps are allowed in the network, what to do in case of a hack, and so on.
Success also requires a security mindset that must be in place 24/7. At BCS, we take security very seriously. We also offer consulting, training, and security solutions. What is the state of your protection? Talk to us today about a free security review. Don’t discover your weakest link after your data has been hacked.
By the way — did you know this is National Cyber Security Awareness Month?
Tom Johnson is the director of strategic development at BCS, a Boston-based information technology solutions provider that offers outstanding Cisco-centric voice, data, video and wireless communications infrastructure to companies doing business in New England. He has been helping businesses use technology for strategic planning, management and tax reporting for more than 20 years.
