What the Verizon Data Breach Report Says About the State of Security

Verizon’s annual "Data Breach Investigations Report" includes some sobering findings that show just how pervasive social and political hacking has become. So-called hacktivism was responsible for 58 percent of all data stolen in 2011. Nearly 80 percent of attacks were opportunistic, and most significant of all, 96 percent were avoidable.

The primary motive for external data breaches was financial gain–companies were hacked to get at credit card or other personal data that could then be used to steal money, secrets or other valuable resources, according to the report.

But that’s not what s really scary.

Buried deep within the Verizon report (scroll down to page 61 if you’ve followed the link above) you ll find a section on recommendations, and there you’ll find a simple pie chart showing that the fixes for 63 percent of all organizations are simple and cheap. Most of the rest are a little harder, but they are still within the capabilities of even the smallest companies.

Worse, the preventive measures are things that security experts have been saying for more than a decade, starting from the days of the first viruses and the first efforts at social engineering to distribute malware.

The simplest solution of all–buy a firewall.

Apparently, small businesses around the world simply haven t been paying attention and still haven’t gotten even the most basic message about security. That message is simple: A firewall makes it harder for a hacker or automated malware to break into your computer, and if it s hard to do, then the vast majority of opportunistic hackers will move on to the low-hanging fruit of unprotected computers.

The second–changing the defaults–is even cheaper because it costs nothing, and the people who sell firewalls have tried to automate the process for you when you set them up.

That means don’t use the default service set identifier (SSID) on your wireless router (seeing a router named Linksys tells a hacker that you haven t changed anything including the password), turn on WiFi Protected Access (WPA) encryption, and change the password. If you follow the instructions on that one-page getting started poster that comes with wireless routers, the built-in wizard will lead you through all this.

For small businesses, the third step should be a no-brainer, but apparently it s not.

Change the default password on your point-of-sale (POS) system.

This means the computer you use as a cash register and to process credit card payments. Hackers already know the default administrative passwords, and if you haven’t changed it, then they will break in and steal your customers’ information, like their credit card numbers. The Verizon people even created a cutout card that people can take to their merchants outlining these steps.

The POS system is apparently a real weak spot for small businesses. Apparently, small businesses don t change passwords, but they do use the devices to browse the Web. There’s never a reason to do this, and if possible, software for accessing the Web for anything other than credit card processing should not be on these machines. While you’re at it, you should make sure that whoever services your POS system has it set up so it’s compliant with the Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

Things are a little more complex for larger companies, but that doesn’t mean that they’re any less basic. Once again, the list of things to do includes changing default passwords and other security settings. It includes implementing a firewall, which should already be in place in every company, and setting it up properly, and changing passwords on even the suspicion of a breach.

To read the original eWeek article, click here: Verizon Data Breach Report Offers Scary Truths About Security

CIO Insight Staff
CIO Insight Staff
CIO Insight offers thought leadership and best practices in the IT security and management industry while providing expert recommendations on software solutions for IT leaders. It is the trusted resource for security professionals who need network monitoring technology and solutions to maintain regulatory compliance for their teams and organizations.

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