Most data breaches are fully preventable, and Beazley Breach Response (BBR) Services, an Atlanta company providing breach response insurance, offers these five ways to avoid them:
Encrypt your devices.
More than 73% of the breaches serviced by Beazley Breach Response in 2013 involving portable devices could have been prevented if the devices were encrypted. Encryption is a safe harbor under virtually every breach notification law.
Automate patch management.
From 2013 to August 2014, Beazley has seen a 20% increase in breaches due to malware or hacking. Staying on top of the latest available software patches and moving to automated patch management can protect against a breach.
Enforce password complexity.
Computer systems can systematically cycle through all permutations of potential passwords. Do not allow the use of passwords that are easy to crack. Dictionary words are capable of being deduced with an algorithm.
Be alert to phishing.
Training is a critical step in breach preparedness. Train employees to spot the indicators of a phishing email. From 2013 to 2014, Beazley Breach Response has seen a 10% increase in breaches attributable to someone inside the company, either an employee or contractor. Most breaches occur because of human error.
Double-check before hitting send.
Thirty-one percent of the breaches serviced by Beazley in 2013-2014 were due to unintended disclosure. It might be simple, but double-checking the contents of a file, email address, or mailing details can make a difference, especially when sending data to outside contacts.
