In 2008, there were more security breaches on computer networks than in the four previous years combined.

According to Verizon Communications, Inc., hackers made off with at least 285 million electronic records in 2008.  Identity thieves are getting better at exploiting careless mistakes that leave companies and individuals vulnerable to attack.  These 285 million compromised records were all used in crimes involving stolen identity (e.g., buying homes and medical coverage under someone else’s identity) or in crimes such as making counterfeit credit cards.  Ninety percent of the breaches investigated could have been avoided with basic security measures (93% of all compromised records in the study came from the financial sector).

One of the key findings in the study is recognition of how valuable so-called “non-critical” computers are to hackers.  Peter Tippett, vice president of research and intelligence for Verizon’s business security solutions division says “Criminals aren’t looking to crash through the front door with a brazen computer attack. Often they’re content to feel around the edges and look for vulnerabilities that can get them in through the equivalent of a side window.”  Even by tapping into computers of low-level employees who don’t handle sensitive data, hackers can get a toehold for installing more malicious software that scans the network traffic and looks for vulnerabilities in other computers.

The study also found that data breaches are getting more severe because criminals are using sophisticated new programs that were custom-designed for particular attacks and weren’t known to the security community or law enforcement.

For a business that does not have Unified Threat Prevention, that’s a risk that leaves key corporate data, financial information, and private employee and customer information unprotected.

Don’t take any chances when it comes to protecting your business’s data, documents and reputation.   Stay up-to-date with the newest, most reliable technology, and protect yourself from the ever-increasing threat of malicious outside attacks. For more information on how you can protect your company’s data call All Covered at 866-446-1133.