New White Paper On the Hidden Threat Inside Off-Network and End-of-Life Devices -- Embedded Data

MILFORD, Mass. - Dec. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- There is a lot of talk about data breaches these days and how companies need to protect themselves from this very-real threat. But what most companies and their executives don’t realize is that over 70% of data breach events come from off-network devices -- equipment that has been decommissioned, misplaced, or stolen. Despite this, most organizations spend the majority of their IT security budgets on devices that are on-network and protected by firewall technologies. This shows that there is a huge disconnect between perceived and actual threats to data security, especially the hidden threat posed by embedded data.

The goal of Brass Valley’s most recent white paper, Embedded Data, the Hidden Threat Inside Off-Network and End-of-Life Devices, is to help people understand where embedded media may reside in their environment, share some of the data security gaps we have found in looking at devices from companies across the U.S., and provide information about how companies can begin to protect themselves from an embedded data breach.

The rise of distributed intelligence has increased the usage of embedded data and it’s only going to continue to increase as devices we use every day become more connected. Embedded data is contained in media buried within a system, usually not on a hard drive, and it is often overlooked when it comes to finding and destroying data during the decommissioning process.

Embedded data is important due to the nature of the data itself. IP addresses, passwords, login information, device information, company information, confidential information, and other bits of information can now become deeply embedded in a device – most of the time where you would not expect it. It’s is in memory, tape, CD/DVD, flash memory, battery backed cache, and much more. It can allow access to your organization’s network, and in the wrong hands, it has the potential to inflict damage on a business in new and very dangerous ways from both a financial and reputational perspective.

Rocco D’Amico, President of Brass Valley, said: “Exacerbating this problem is the fact that many companies have no visibility into the origins of a cyber-attack. A study recently released by the Ponemon Institute reported that 45% of organizations have no way of knowing what the root cause of an attack was. We see this as a huge problem, and it’s only going to get worse if companies don’t recognize the threat of embedded data.”

“Every day, we still encounter shocking gaps in data security simply because of lack of knowledge. Almost every device including servers, computers, smartphones, tablets, etc., may have sensitive information stored on them in places you’re not looking. These devices pose a security risk to both your company and your customers if you do not decommission and dispose of the devices and their associated embedded data properly,” added Brian Lovett, CEO of Brass Valley.

To learn more about embedded data, the hidden threat inside off-network and end-of-life devices and the steps companies can take to protect themselves from an embedded data breach, you can download the white paper here: http://brassvalley.com/white-paper-embedded-data-hidden-secret-stopping-major-data-breach/

About Brass Valley

Brass Valley is the leading provider of customized secure IT asset management services using “The Other Firewall”™ tools and methodologies to support some of the most security conscious companies in the world. We work with clients and industries such as financial services, healthcare, and the Fortune 1000 where protection of sensitive information is a high priority. To learn more about Brass valley visit: http://www.brassvalley.com.