Technology Companies Can Keep Our Private Data Safe from Hackers

AUSTIN, Texas - Aug. 14, 2024 - PRLog -- Criminal Elements Continue to Access Private Customer Information

Nothing is more upsetting to customers than to learn that hackers have accessed their private online information.

This month, ATT sent out emails to millions of past and present customers that their personal information – potentially including social security numbers – was compromised, making them ripe targets for identity theft.

Hacking is not only costly to companies – casinos in Las Vegas reportedly paid millions of dollars in ransomware demands to recover customer data – security breaches can result in a loss of customer trust and hefty penalties, particularly for organizations that fall under the EU's strict GDPR privacy rules, which can fine companies up to 4% of their worldwide annual revenue.

Hacking can also be a matter of life and death.

Back in February 2024, millions of Americans were unable to fill their prescriptions at their local pharmacies for weeks due to a cyberattack, purportedly launched by the 'Blackcat' ransomware gang against Change Healthcare, a prescription insurance payment clearinghouse owned by UnitedHealth.

Malicious attacks against the nation's infrastructure could also put lives at risk. In early 2024, Russian hackers allegedly began probing the IT systems of several small Texas water utilities near the New Mexico border. In one case, the hackers purportedly took control of the water tower pump in Muleshoe, Texas, causing it to overflow. Officials are concerned that these might be dry runs before attacks commence on larger utility systems.

Is Training the User Base to be Security Aware Enough to Prevent Privacy Breaches?

Many programming teams get frustrated with their user base when they can't seem to follow what programmers consider to be common sense security hygiene procedures.

In many cases, this is a valid concern.

Naïve users can be fooled by sophisticated phishing schemes or fall victim to hackers by not using available security measures, such as two-factor authentication (2FA). As we wrote in a recent article, corporate management needs to step up efforts to train users to be cyber security aware.

Yet even sophisticated users, such as the senior executive team at Microsoft, can fall victim to scams by not following best security practices. In this case, Russian hackers used a so-called "password spraying" attack that tried passwords against multiple usernames until a match was found, letting them into highly sensitive online areas.

Ongoing Security Problems in Software Libraries Can Let Hackers Inside

Software developers need to do more to protect users from their lax security habits.

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