Coleman Technologies Blog

To begin, let’s examine the data that we currently have available, courtesy of Statista: in 2019, there were a total of 1,473 data breaches recorded. The first half of 2020 saw 540 breaches reported. Crunching the numbers, these 33 percent fewer breaches have impacted what other sources assert to be 66 percent fewer people.

At First Glance, This Appears to Be a Good Thing

However, there are more considerations to weigh before we can establish this as a positive trend. While we wish that we could simply say that yes, this is a good sign, there is unfortunately more data to consider. For instance:

The Kind of Breach It Was

There are so many more variables to take into account, starting with the type of breach that took place and how severe the breach itself was. Let’s consider a few scenarios.

On the one hand, you might have a dozen or so breaches with a few records lost in each. On the other, you have just one, but that one breach exposes thousands of records, each containing personally identifiable medical data.

Of course, the single breach is far worse—objectively speaking—than the dozen. However, this kind of scenario isn’t likely to be the case, as the data also showed that 66 percent fewer people have been impacted.

How Accurate the Records Are

Of course, we also have to take the accuracy of the data into account, simply reflecting on the delay that naturally occurs between the actual breach, when it is first discovered, and when the public is notified about the breach. Furthermore, it isn’t all that uncommon for new victims to be discovered long after the breach is first revealed. Some companies will attempt some level of damage control and play their numbers down as much as possible, or simply omit the actual number of impacted accounts in their announcements.

As a result, we may not yet be dealing with the actual number of breaches that have occurred in 2020, depending upon how forthcoming breached businesses have been.

What Impact Has Remote Work Had?

Finally, we need to acknowledge the fact that more people than ever before are working from home—outside of the protections that many remote-friendly businesses have implemented. In theory, this would typically lead to an increase in threats, but recent reports have shown threats to be decreasing. While it would be wonderful if this turned out to be the case, it is very possible that a shift in focus away from maintaining security to maintaining operations could be skewing these results. Furthermore, some businesses might not be able to sufficiently monitor their employees’ security as they are working remotely.

Regardless, You Can’t Allow Your Security to Be Shortchanged

Even if these apparently lowered cybercrime statistics are accurate, you shouldn’t take a break from your cybersecurity preparedness. Easing up will only encourage less secure security habits, leading to increased security problems later on.

Of course, you don’t need to work alone as you protect your business. Coleman Technologies can help you see to your IT needs, working to protect your resources and ensure that work can be accomplished. Find out more about what we can offer by calling (604) 513-9428 today.

Encryption is a powerful weapon against hackers that can prevent them from stealing your data and leveraging it against you. Encryption, in its most basic textbook definition, converts your readable data into an indecipherable jumble that can only be reassembled through the use of an encryption key. Small businesses absolutely must utilize encryption to protect customer information, financial records, and other important or sensitive business data. This ensures that it is as protected as possible against those that might do you harm.

One major benefit of encryption is that SMBs can protect customer data with powerful security mechanisms that are next to impossible for hackers to bypass. Some of the data that might be protected by encryption include names, addresses, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers–all of which are at serious risk to data theft. Your customers want to know that you’re doing what you can to keep them safe, and you can improve your relationship with them by using encryption. This will establish your business as one that cares about the security and privacy of its clients, making you that much better in the eyes of new customers.

In regards to legal and regulatory compliance, encryption is a vital tool that helps to keep your business in line with the strict regulations that govern private and sensitive data. Some of the regulations that you might be liable for upholding are the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for healthcare and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for organizations that handle credit card transactions. Encryption helps businesses meet these standards without the risk of paying steep fines for violating them.

Additionally, encryption can help you protect against data breaches, which can be problematic for any business, small or large. With a data breach, you can expect to deal with financial losses as a result of compliance fines, loss of reputation, and downtime. Encrypting data allows your organization to keep itself safe by making it far more difficult for hackers to conduct a successful data breach. Even if they do manage to steal data, they will have significant trouble decrypting it. At the end of the day, hackers prefer low-hanging fruit, and the more difficult you make their jobs, the less likely they are to want to go through the trouble.

Ultimately, encryption is all about enhancing the overall data security of your business’ data across all of its platforms and devices. Employees who frequently find themselves working out of the office or on multiple different devices or endpoints should absolutely be equipped with encryption. If you implement encryption in this way, you can rest easy knowing that your data is secure as it is accessed on protected devices and networks.

Encryption serves to protect your business from some of the nastiest threats on the Internet, and even businesses with limited IT resources can take full advantage of it. It’s a great way to keep your business’ data secure and to shore up potential vulnerabilities.

Coleman Technologies can equip your business with the encryption it needs to stay secure. Learn more by calling us at (604) 513-9428.

When it comes to valuable data, hackers will go out of their way to try and steal it, placing businesses in dangerous situations. In particular, healthcare data is attractive to hackers, and considering how lucrative the prospect of healthcare data is, companies need to take extra precautions to protect it. But what is it about healthcare data that makes it so attractive, anyway? Let’s dig into the consequences of potential attacks on healthcare data.

It Sells for a Lot on the Black Market

You’d be shocked to see the value of data on the black market, particularly personal health information and medical records, insurance details, and prescription information. Hackers know that there is a high demand for this data, so they have no problem trying to take advantage of the market.

Personal Profiles Aid in Further Attacks

If a hacker can steal a personal profile from a healthcare provider, they gain access to all kinds of information, like medical history, genetic data, lifestyle choices, and more. This information gives hackers all they need to launch customized attacks against individuals based on their profile.

Identity Theft is a Possibility

Identity theft and financial fraud can often be a direct result of healthcare attacks. Once hackers have stolen records, they can impersonate individuals or obtain other medical information and prescription medications, as well as commit insurance fraud. Victims suffer in a variety of ways, including financial loss, damaged credit, and inability to receive medical treatment.

Blackmail and Extortion Can Scare Victims Into Acting

With sensitive personal records such as healthcare data, individuals often find themselves on the receiving end of blackmail attempts or extortion. They might threaten to reveal conditions or other personal information regarding treatments. For public figures or others in sensitive professions, this can be damaging.

Medical Research and Progress Could Grind to a Halt

Medical research requires that data be accurate, and if hackers steal or alter information in healthcare records, medical research grinds to a halt. This puts any attempt at developing new treatments, understanding disease patterns, or improving public health in jeopardy. 

Hackers Take Advantage of Weaker Security Systems

Healthcare organizations often have weaker security measures in place, putting them at greater risk of being attacked. These organizations are often more focused on providing better patient care, meaning their investment priorities are elsewhere, leading to more potential for security vulnerabilities in the process.

There is So Much Data to Steal

Consider how many patients a hospital might see over the course of a year. Now consider that the hospital will retain those records for an extremely long time. This shocking amount of data makes hospitals and other healthcare providers targets that have a lot to lose as a result.

Of course, it’s not just healthcare data that’s at risk of theft, destruction, or worse—all data is vulnerable to this type of treatment if it’s not managed appropriately. Let Coleman Technologies help you address this with our managed IT services. Learn more by calling us today at (604) 513-9428.