The concern for data security is becoming a priority inside and outside organizations around the world. But, this change has occurred due to digital transformations and technological developments.
However, in recent years there has been an increase in the number of cyber attacks. According to the report conducted by Check Point Research, last year there was a 38% increase in the number of attacks worldwide.
Thus, resulting in several cases of data leakage.
Data leakage can occur through attacks. But also due to security flaws or malicious people. As a consequence, organizations suffer financial and reputational losses.
Recently, a data leak from one organization exposed the sensitive data of 13 million people.
It is therefore essential to strengthen the pillars of security and minimize potential cyber risks. Stay with us and find out how we can do this.
What are the risks when data leakage occurs?
According to the survey conducted by Surfshark, in the first five positions of the global ranking of countries that suffer most from data leakage cases are Russia, the United States, Poland, France, and India.
Brazil occupies the 12th position in the world ranking. In the first quarter of last year, the country registered that 286 thousand people had their information exposed. Such as names, e-mails, passwords and phone numbers.
According to Aleksandr Valentij, director of information security at Surfshark, data exposure is a lucrative business for hackers, since selling information on the Dark Web encourages phishing and ransomware attacks.
As such, organizations are increasingly subject to cyber risks.
What are the ways that information can be leaked?
There are a few ways in which data leakage can occur, such as through cyber attacks. Once the attack has occurred, hackers have access to the sensitive information and can use it to perpetrate scams and fraud.
The phishing attack is a variation of the social engineering technique that aims to steal people's data through malicious links sent in messages via e-mail, SMS or social networks.
After the person opens the message and clicks on the link, their information is being stolen. This way, cybercriminals can use it to apply future scams.
Besides cyber attacks, one of the main reasons for leakage is the vulnerabilities in the security system of organizations, such as lack of control over who has access to sensitive data.
As a result, the data is exposed to employees who may not be prepared to face cyber threats and malicious people.
These people end up stealing and selling the data to third parties in forums on the Deep Web. In this way, further strengthening the illegal market for the sale of information.
Consequences of Data Leakage
Once a leak occurs, the consequences for organizations can range from a large financial loss to a tarnished reputation.
We can recall some cases of leaks that have occurred recently. In one of the largest social networks in the world, 530 million pieces of data were exposed on the Internet, the organization claimed that the incident occurred due to a scrape in the system, but they were fined $6.6 million.
After suffering a cyber attack, a smartphone brand had 37 million customers' data hacked.The attackers had access to names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and dates of birth.
However, this was not the first case involving the organization. In 2021, the brand disclosed personal data of 76 million people and was fined $350 million in a lawsuit.
Thus, damaging people's trust in the brand and directly affecting the reputation in front of customers.
How do you protect data from leakage?
There are some protective measures to ensure data security, such as making people aware of the cyber risks that exist in the digital world.
In this way, people will know how to act in the face of a cyber threat and decrease the possibility of further attacks against organizations.
Another important measure is to strengthen the security of the organizations' systems, investing in new security and privacy technologies.
In addition, it is fundamental to have control over who can have access to users' confidential data. The Zero Trust security model reinforces the security pillars within the organization, the entry doors will close and increasingly decrease the chances of a successful cyber attack happening.
Prioritize People Awareness
Now you know that the reasons for data leakage can occur through phishing attacks and security gaps within organizations.
Thus, it is critical to have people prepared to identify cyber risks and know how to protect themselves from them.
In addition, the organization needs to have control over who can have access to sensitive information. Thus, avoiding a possible exposure of the data.
Therefore, it is important to implement an awareness program for people about cyber risks and digital protection.
Prioritizing employee awareness is the first step in ensuring information security.
The PhishX ecosystem prioritizes people within organizations, we believe that employees are critical pieces of data protection.
We can help create an awareness program for everyone with handouts, training, and videos. Our customer success team provides all the necessary support and customization.
On the PhishX platform it is possible to know who is doing the training, collect team metrics and be able to measure your organization's cyber risk.
It is a complete and modern platform for its users.
