Tag: expectations

This article was originally published in The Troy Messenger on September 20, 2019.

Recently, I worked with a group who suffered an enormous data breach. The company realized something odd was afoot when payroll checks began to bounce.

In the security world, we often describe this type of breach discovery as “third-party” notification. In other words, someone not directly involved in the company’s operations informed the company of an issue. Also, many of us call this a resume-building opportunity.

I took a quick look at the core operations and assisted the IT team with a hasty inspection. In short, the company owned many security products, employed lots of tools. The board of directors wanted a single variable to surface as the reason for the loss of funds. However, a single smoking gun didn’t exist. The motive was simple: steal money. The success of the theft revealed numerous issues in the company’s execution of technology and associated protective measures. Below, I offer a list of the most common issues that I observe from similar events.

Let’s call these our top 10 habits to avoid data loss.

Continue reading “Ten habits to avoid data loss” →