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Modern Data Security: How To Stay Safe In 2013

We know we live in the digital age, but perhaps too rarely do we realize how much information is actually stored digitally. Currently, we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data per day. 90% of the data in the world today was created in just the last two years. This “big data” is becoming too awkward to effectively secure using traditional tools. With more than 8,000 malware signatures created every day, we face an ever-evolving threat landscape. Thus, the security tools of 2013 will experience a shift in focus from mere prevention to detection, analysis and containment.

modern data security

According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, authentication attacks and “hacktivism” are some of the top threats for 2013. Data breaches are more likely to be the result of “low-and-slow attacks,” said Wade Baker, principal author of the report. These low-and-slow attacks are enabled by malware which slips through single-tier traditional security systems and allows attackers to hold long-term, high-impact access to business data. Multi-layered security and big data analysis tools are needed to protect against and recover from these threats.

Authentication Attacks

Authentication attacks include web application exploits, which are becoming a major threat to larger organizations and governments. The best protection against these types of attacks is vigilance and education. Businesses and other organizations must ensure they have sound processes for monitoring their user accounts and credentials on all systems, devices and networks.

This age of mobile devices has also created higher security risks for businesses as many are allowing employees to access their work accounts from personal smartphones and tablets. The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend has been the cause of many security breaches in recent years, the majority of which were due to lost or stolen devices. Businesses which choose to take this risk need to create effective authentication processes. Authorization can also be more tightly controlled to allow employees access only to necessary information.

Hacktivism

Hacktivism is a politically or socially motivated attack and is becoming the trend in cyber attacks for 2013. Social media sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook were exploited in late 2012 for attacks of this kind as well as spam and even back-door Trojan schemes. Social media sites will continue to be a target for hackers in 2013 as they are an excellent source for stealing personal information.

Mobile Threats

Mobile malware started to be seen in 2012 and is expected to increase in 2013 in addition to mobile spam. The best protection for mobile scams is to treat your phone as you would your PC. Don’t open text messages or emails from unknown senders and use caution following shared links. Never give out personal information using digital means unless you are certain who is on the receiving end.

“Toll Fraud” is a mobile malware scam that was detected in 2012 and may still be a threat in 2013. This scam uses the messaging service of a victim’s phone to place huge charges on their phone bill. In most cases, the scammer escapes with the cash before the scam is even detected. Regularly check your phone bill to protect yourself from receiving unauthorized charges.

Because the cost of a data breach is so great, an important investment for 2013 will be the tools that can manage big data in the event of a security breach. A Gartner report has stated that by 2016, 40% of enterprises will actively analyze at least 10 terabytes of data for information security intelligence, quite a jump from the less than 3% which was seen in 2011. Protect yourself or your business from intelligent attacks using intelligent security tools.

Rick Delgado is a tech guru. From the latest gadgets to securing networks for major businesses to protect against advanced malware, Rick has seen and wrote about it all. Rick has over 12 years of professional experience in technology and is currently a freelance writer in Park City, UT.

Written By

About the Author: Rick Delgado is a freelance writer and self-proclaimed nerd who is an expert in technology and software development. He enjoys keeping up with the latest tech innovations and writing about them.

13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. myles

    May 14, 2013 at 7:47 pm

    ohh yes staying safe is really very essential, as the number of online scams have increasd drastically.

  2. vipin

    May 15, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    Thanks for this article. today data securing is of prime importance… Thank you

  3. LeeOak

    May 15, 2013 at 2:21 pm

    Just like the recent global wordpress hack, it just goes to show how many people don’t use strong enough user names and passwords.
    Whilst you can get away with the “admin” user name if you have a super strong password, many people simply don’t and have had not just a free to use hotmail email hacked but the blogs to their business websites which is a disaster for their business image.

  4. Gautham

    May 15, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    These are some great tips to prevent getting hit by virus and malware attacks.

  5. Frank Cern

    May 15, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    I think mobile threats are becoming more and more prevalent.

  6. Subodh Gupta

    May 15, 2013 at 7:36 pm

    great post, thx for sharing this info!
    Some of the old threats such as brute force and DOS are still very common these days.

  7. raman bathina

    May 20, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    Nice tips rick and these are send good signals to users.So in that way users have some knowledge about latest cyber attacks.

  8. Lisa

    May 24, 2013 at 10:38 pm

    Great post! Now more than ever managing personal & business data is vital in order to keep yourself and your business, big or small, from security breaches. The problem is that people are unaware of the multiple breaches they allow on a daily basis without batting an eyelash. Education is key and will play the most incremental role in securing personal and business data alike. Not knowing what you are doing is the most costly error anyone can make when it comes to modern data security, and is subsequently the major player in personal and business security breaches.

  9. akash

    May 27, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    Great post.Nice tips it is helpful to users.

  10. rajneesh

    May 27, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    Nice post rick, The biggest threat in the coming time will be to our mobiles. There were not so many virus programs/Malware programs designed to steal data from our mobiles before but with the increasing use of smartphones/Tabs to carry data, virus programmer has started targeting these unsafe mobile devices as people are not very much aware about these mobile threats.

  11. Manish sharma

    June 5, 2013 at 4:07 pm

    Thank you very much for the great article. this is very useful post. All the points you mentioned are relevant and put together in an interesting way.

  12. Raj

    June 9, 2013 at 7:24 pm

    Before sometimes mobile was not the centre of attack for virus programmer, as almost all of the people used to prefer PC over Mobile for data services. But with the introduction of Smartphone & different type of operating system in the market, a significant amount of people are using data services on their mobile. Because of increasing use of Phones for data services, malware programs are being designed specially for these new operating systems running on our mobile. One must take care of his/her mobile as he/she takes care of his/her PC to stay safe from the mobile threats.

  13. Mukesh Agarwal

    July 1, 2013 at 9:42 pm

    Hi Rick,

    Good to see another post on here (seen you on venafi). Great content, may I add that last pass is a great way to secure all your passwords. It even generates hard passwords for you, so you can be sure that those who try bruteforce your password will spend enough compute cycles to get to where they need to go.

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