Report: Compromised Accounts Skyrocket

Compromised Passwords A Worry For Business
Compromised Passwords A Worry For Business

Data Compromises Skyrocket

According to new data out from the Identity Theft Resource Center 2021 saw a 68% increase (YoY) in the number of data compromises; that is 23% higher than the previous all-time high which was set in 2017. According to their information there were 1,862 data compromises throughout the year. Those data compromises included stolen social security numbers and other personal information.

Experts say the number of breaches in which a root cause isn’t found is up by nearly 200% since 2020, an indicator that fraudsters are not slowing their attacks on personal and business information.

“There is no reason to believe the level of data compromises will suddenly decline in 2022. As organizations of all sizes struggle to defend the data they hold, it is essential that everyone practice good cyber-hygiene to protect themselves and their loved one from these crimes,” said Eva Velasquez, President & CEO, Identity Theft Resource Center.

More data from the ITRC can be accessed here.

World Password Day a Reminder to Secure Data

May 5 is World Password Day and experts say businesses and consumers should use this date to update – and upgrade – their existing passwords.

“Few would argue the fact that a strong password is an ideal first line of data protection defense,” said Surya Varanasi, CEO, StorCentric. “Unfortunately, however, while highly sophisticated password support tools are available, today’s cyber criminals also have extremely advanced password hacking technology at their fingertips. Which means an increased risk of your passwords being leapfrogged, and your data being compromised.”

In addition to upgraded passwords, Varanasi suggests that businesses and individuals implement a layered security defense with the password as the base layer. From there, a sophisticated backup solution that can withstand cybercriminals’ attacks, and encryption are key to protection.

“To further fortify the backup and thwart would-be criminals, with object locking layered on top…data cannot be deleted or overwritten for a fixed time period, or even indefinitely,” said Varanasi.

Ransomware Gains Traction

Secure passwords are only the beginning of a strong security system because of the number of attacks using Ransomware. According to Coveware data most corporate attacks were focused on small and medium sized businesses; 72% targeted those with fewer than 1,000 employees and about one-third (37%) targeted businesses with fewer than 100 employees. This is likely because smaller businesses don’t always have the tech abilities – or budgets – to incorporate these protections.

“In addition to powerful passwords there must be additional measures taken,” said JG Heithcock, GM, Retrospect. “The first is that all organizations regardless of size must be able to detect anomalies as early as possible in order to remediate affected resources. The next is SMBs and large enterprises alike need a backup target that allows them to lock backups for a designated time period. Users can mark objects as locked for a designated period of time, preventing them from being deleted or altered by any user – including internal bad actors.”

Share:
Share

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristina Knight-1
Kristina Knight, Journalist , BA
Content Writer & Editor
linkedin
Kristina Knight is a freelance writer with more than 15 years of experience writing on varied topics. Kristina’s focus for the past 10 years has been the small business, online marketing, and banking sectors, however, she keeps things interesting by writing about her experiences as an adoptive mom, parenting, and education issues. Kristina’s work has appeared with BizReport.com, NBC News, Soaps.com, DisasterNewsNetwork, and many more publications.