Yes! You had better believe it! On 22 and 23 March, a hacker gained access to more than 100 million Capital One accounts, and credit card applications of customers based in the United States and Canada. The culprit’s name – Paige Thompson, a Seattle resident, now in the custody of the FBI.
What Paige Stole
This is what Paige stole:
- 140,000 US Social Security numbers
- 1,000,000 Canadian Social Insurance numbers
- 80,000 bank account numbers
- an undisclosed number of people’s names, addresses, credit scores, credit limits and balances
How the Cyber Breach Happened
How did the breach occur? Thompson was able to gain access to the secure Capital One secure IT infrastructure by exploiting a misconfigured web application firewall. She had previously worked for an IT company as a software engineer; the same cloud hosting company used by Capital One. To make matters even worse, Thompson tried to share the information online.
The Implications for Your Business
If you are reading this in another part of the world, you may discount this event, thinking that your business is safe and secure from the wrongdoings of cybercriminals. Think again. Hackers aren’t selective. They can target any business, in any country and at any time. If your IT systems have vulnerabilities to exploit, a hacker will find them and attack. That’s one sure thing. And when your data is gone, it’s gone for good.
What Hackers Look For
These are the common causes of cybersecurity breaches:
- Ransomware and cloud-based malware
- Inadequate firewall protection
- Insecure BYOD and portable data storage devices
- Inadequate user cybersecurity education
- Phishing and ineffective spam filters
- IoT intrusion
What You Can Do
It’s easy to avoid becoming another victim of somebody like Paige. If you have any doubt over the security of your IT infrastructure, then don’t delay. Call your local managed services provider (MSP) who can provide the latest anti-virus, robust firewall application, proactive monitoring and automation of your IT systems, employee training, use of RMM tools to ensure BYOD lock-down, and much more.
Your MSP is a cybersecurity expert. When you outsource the security of your IT infrastructure to them, your data, devices and network are fully protected and secured. The MSP uses the latest, tested cybersecurity technologies to ensure that you do not become a victim of cybercrime.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Invest in your IT and the future of your company by protecting your data today.
