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Tag: hackers

Data Breach Lawsuits Are on the Rise

With the data breaches increasing and hackers breaking into major companies and stealing customer data at an alarming rate, lawsuits relating to these breaches have been a hot topic. For companies, although facing a catastrophe in terms of brand image, legally they have been shielded from damages. That is until now.

According to a recent article, a recent ruling by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit against Neiman Marcus over a 2013 data breach in which hackers stole credit card information from as many as 350,000 customers. The three judges ruling has created a stir in the legal environment because this now lowers the bar for consumers who want to sue over such breaches.

Although the initial ruling was thrown out due to thinking that customers could have simply relied on their credit cards’ fraud protection program and also that these kinds of breaches although had shown that customers would fear for future fraud and identity theft did not cause any “imminent “ threat or “concrete” injury.

However, the 7th Circuit reinstated both types of claims, which were to those who had incurred expenses tied to the Neiman Marcus hack, and those who feared future identity theft. Basically the key point that Chief Judge Diane Wood had said was, ““Why else [other than to cause harm] would hackers break into a store’s database and steal consumers’ private information?”

Ultimately this ruling will most likely not help consumers cash in, however, it will build the pressure for companies to take a serious look into their data security solutions and see if they have what it takes to truly secure their data. Companies must show that they have acted reasonably and have taken reasonable yet realistic measures to prevent a data breach and not make themselves a target.

It is quite evident that having a data security framework that works, is necessary in taking the stance against data breaches. Organizing unstructured data, data encryption and comprehensive risk analyses prior to a breach happening, all needs to be in place to show not only the consumers but the courts that as an organization, we have done all that we could to avoid a data breach. Taking these proactive measures to have strong security policies will go a long way towards mitigating an organization liability in a class-action lawsuit, such as this one.

Although legal action against organization after a data breach may be inevitable, positioning yourself with this kind of solution will put the organization in a better position to defend the lawsuit and also deflect some of the greatest damage to an organizations brand image and reputation.

Taking a hard look at what kind of data security now and being proactive about protecting your customers’ most valuable data is the first step in avoiding all the damages that will occur with a data breach. Being able to control your data no matter where it is, can be the best way to improve your information security.

 

Photo credit by: PRSA-NY

The Dangers of Smart Printer Devices

Printers are definitely not what they used to be a decade ago. They have evolved and are becoming more involved in organizations’ networks, as well as an increase in multifaceted functions that have made them vulnerable and threaten the stability of the entire network. Hackers and insiders have made their case by causing internal and external data breaches through these printers.

Nowadays although there has been a great push to secure mobile devices and their data, organizations neglect to additionally secure their network and internet-enabled printers. The reason this is such a concern now, is that from these mobile devices you are now able to print, scan to email, network drives and scan to web-hosted applications.

“Many hackers will be able to access the entire network through tracking the metadata of printed documents, or by hacking the passcode of the MFP. Whether these breaches are caused by an attack from an unauthorized outsider, or internal factors, such as human error, systems must be put in place to resist disruption to the network,” said Grant Howard, who is Professional Services Technical Manager at Annodata in a recent article regarding that “Smart print devices are an untapped opportunity for hackers…”

In another recent blog post, we proposed that taking a data-centric approach to your security can give you a more complete view on how sensitive data is used in your organization. Controlling and managing access to printers, secure mobile printing and tracking and auditing usage are three challenges that come to mind when it comes to securing printers. These three challenges must also be part of this solution.

Some of the key benefits of secure printing are as follows:

· Increased document security – avoids unauthorized use

· Increased user mobility and productivity – print anytime, anywhere securely

· Improved accountability – tracking printer usage for auditing purposes

With these protective measures, Fasoo ePrint provides an effective yet secure print management solution.  If Fasoo ePrint detects sensitive information in a document, a predefined policy can block printing. It controls and traces printed documents on your existing printers, so you can continue to use your current output devices.

When used with Fasoo Enterprise DRM solutions, it extends the security area and provides stronger protection for personal information maintained within organizations. This then provides a wider range of solutions to protect not only your printouts but also you data.

With this solution out there and ready to be implemented, it is time to mitigate and eliminate the risk of data breaches through printers as there are already too many making headlines that could have been avoided with this solution.

 

Photo credit by: Phil Campbell

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