Don’t become the next Equifax!
In case you have not heard about it, Equifax, the credit reporting agency, was hacked and lost 143 million customer data records to hackers. The data set included social security numbers, names, addresses, birth dates and credit card information.
How could that have happened?
According to the information released by Equifax, the break in may have happen because an operating system or an application was not current on patches and had known vulnerabilities. The unpatched vulnerabilities were an open door for the criminals get into the Equifax systems and steal the data.
For a company handling critical data, having the door to their data so wide open, surprised me quite a bit – especially as the hack was preventable (at least based on the information publicly available). While it was a criminal act, the incompetence and carelessness of Equifax to not have a vulnerability management solution in place is surprising in today’s world.
Why is this important to know?
Simply because most of the data security breaches happen through vulnerabilities in operating systems and applications. Typically, the software vendors are releasing patches that fix these known vulnerabilities in their systems, but if these patches don’t get installed in a timely manner, the unpatched systems provide the perfect target for any attacker.
What can you do to prevent a data security breach in your organization?
- Implement a vulnerability management system
Reporting
Automated vulnerability remediation
Software distribution - Compliance reporting and enforcement
Define a technical security baseline (e.g. firewall, disk encryption
Automatically enforce compliance for all systems
Compliance reporting
This can be accomplished with an investment into a cost effective, pay as you go and easy to use vulnerability management solution. Reach out to us today to get the details around the solution that will help your organization eliminate vulnerabilities and protect your data.
Don’t be the next Equifax by deciding to do nothing!
