2011 has been one of the worst years ever for security breaches with both large and small companies being affected. Among these big headline breaches were Sony’s PlayStation network, RSA, Citigroup, ADP and a large email marketer, Epsilon. The trickledown effect from the Epsilon breach was felt by many companies; large financial institutions JPMorgan Chase and Citibank, major hotel chains Marriott and Hilton as well as big retailers Best Buy and Walgreens.
The bad guys are out there and they are constantly trying to gain access to customer and confidential data. For a typical breach, it costs approximately $212 per record lost for credit monitoring and notifications sent to customers and this does not include the cost associated with reputational loss. For example, if 650,000 records were compromised it would cost approximately $137,800,000. That would be quite a hit for most business could yours recover?
As this year comes to an end, I have put together a top 10 list if things you can do to keep both you and company safer online in 2012.
10. If you are not expecting a package from UPS or any other parcel-delivery service, do not click on the link they sent you, as it is probably a phishing email. Instead, access the site by going through the homepage to avoid being sent to a fraudulent site where your information could be stolen.
9. Do not click on links within an unsolicited e-mail.
8. Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal data.
7. Log on directly to the official Web site for the business identified in the e-mail, instead of “linking” to it from an unsolicited e-mail. If the e-mail appears to be from your bank, credit card issuer or other company you deal with frequently, your statements or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper contact information.
6. If an e-mail asks you to respond quickly or states there is an emergency, it may be a scam. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to get you to act impulsively.
5. The FBI or other government agencies will not contact you about a lawsuit or subpoena through e-mail. They tend to like to talk to you in person about those things.
4. Ensure that your home PC’s patches are up to date as well as your anti-virus.
3. Always compare the link in the e-mail to the web address link you are directed to and determine if they match.
2. On social media sites, (Facebook, etc) be careful what kind of information you share and whom you share it with.
1. My personal favorite, remember what Mom always said, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
Have a happy and safe holiday season and a safe new year.
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