A recent article explained that “recovering from a data breach is like recovering from a skunk attack. No matter where or when you go in the house the stink still clings.” Obviously for those data breaches that have happened this year still have not had the dust settle as the impact of those breaches still linger. However, earlier in 2011 Sony’s PlayStation data breach exposed 77 million user personal account information. It wasn’twasen’t until July 2014 for the “dust to start to settle on this one” and Sony offered $15 million in court settlements to U.S. users of its PlayStation Network (PSN).
That same year in June of 2011, Citigroup also announce that hackers acquired 200,000 credit card holders’ personal information. This took them until 2013 when they found out and revealed that the breach actually exposed more than 360,000 North American Citi-issued customers’ names, account number and contact information.
Aside from the notification and public relation headache that has to get done and continuing to do whatever it takes to protect the victims, it is important to actually publicize what is being done to protect future customers’ personally identifiable information (PII) from being leaked. “Remember it ain’t over when it’s over.” Even when investigations are done, and flaws are fixed, there maintains a sense of concern and fear of trusting an organization who was affected by a data breach. Data breaches have the ability to deliver long-term damage to an organization reputation.
Even if they didn’t encrypt with digital rights management (DRM) their files to protect he sensitive information that they contains the customers personally information, it is equally important to say that they are going to make sure that from now on their information will be secure because their information that contains this information is encrypted, especially when it is DRM protected.
Back then there may have not been enough interest in this kind of data security, but now there is no excuse not to have them as they can protect the lingering pain of a data breach for a very long, long time.
Photo Credit: Don DeBold
