A database breaches are cyberattacks where nefarious individuals intentionally access sensitive business information on the companies’ databases. They can be identity thieves, discontent employees of corporate enterprises, cyber terrorists, phishing scammers, or hackers. All of them then use the data for their malicious purposes without the corporate enterprises’ knowledge. This security breach can result in considerable financial losses for the companies and ruin their market reputation. Moreover, the top managerial officials and directors of the companies face serious legal charges that are detrimental to the business’s goodwill.
Why do Cyber-criminals Commit Database Breaches?
Experienced DBAs say that companies should take stringent steps when it comes to the prevention of database breaches. The incidences of cyber-crimes in the form of data breaches are growing at an alarming rate. Hackers, identity thieves, phishing scammer, and discontent employees personally seek the business information on the companies’ databases with the intent to cause harm. They generally use the data in the following ways to obtain money illegally:
- Sell details of controversial financial dealings with their trading partners to the highest bidder on the Dark Web,
- Compromise the confidential personal and credit details of the companies’ customers to gain access to their bank accounts, and
- To defraud the companies, so their top managerial officials have no option but to file for bankruptcy.
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How do database breaches occur in the first place?
The top managerial officials of companies need to understand that data breaches are cyber-crimes of opportunity. Cyber-criminals intentionally want to get access and steal the sensitive business information of their database servers. These nefarious individuals generally do so in the following ways:
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Exploit vulnerabilities in their IT infrastructure
Corporate enterprises might not upgrade their current IT infrastructure for cost considerations. The software applications they operate to run their business database network server might become obsolete. These applications might not provide adequate protection from potential cyber-threats like data breaches. Cyber-criminals exploit this system vulnerability to achieve their nefarious objectives.
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Drive-by downloads
The companies’ top managers, directors, or employees often browse the Internet in discharging their responsibilities. Unintentionally and unknowingly, they might download a software virus when visiting a certain compromised web page. Cyber-criminals use drive-by downloads to identify and exploit security flaws in the companies’ database servers. This could be the browser, operating system, or database software application.
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Malware attacks
Cyber-criminals like phishing scammers and hackers often send suspicious emails containing malware attachments to the companies’ websites. Their objective is to get hold of the information available on the corporate enterprises’ database servers. To do so, they frequently trick the companies’ customers, managers, directors, and employees into revealing their confidential details.
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Weak passwords
Many companies’ employees, top managers, and directors have accessibility privileges to use the business databases. They generally have to insert a user-password to access the business information available on these IT systems. Many of them use words, phrases, or important dates they can remember when conceiving these passwords. Unfortunately, cyber-criminals have the intelligence and experience to guess such weak passwords through trial and error.
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How Can Companies Prevent Database Breaches?
The fallout from a potential data breach can be a catastrophe for companies of all sizes, say DBA experts from the credible company in database management and security Remote.DBA.com. Most corporate enterprises will end up facing considerable losses, which can endanger their financial stability. Moreover, the various stakeholders like customers and investors will start to question the companies’ market reputation. Fortunately, the companies can avoid this embarrassing cyber-security incident by taking the following preventive steps:
- Issue database access privileges to employees according to the designation, duties they need to perform, and levels of their trustworthiness,
- Regularly update the software platform necessary to operate the database network servers,
- Install the latest hardware and software firewalls on the database network servers to prevent penetration by cyber-criminals,
- Conduct a thorough background check on new third-party vendors before granting them access to the business databases,
- Conduct educational seminars for the employees to teach them the importance of cyber-security in the workplace,
- Revamp database network server security by installing and operating the latest anti-virus software applications,
- Forbid employees, managers, and directors from bringing their laptops which do not have adequate cyber-security features,
- Use sophisticated encryption software applications to protect the confidential information of customers and restrict access to data,
- Regularly monitor online corporate accounts and other business information on the databases to identify data leak,
- Formulate a proper Bring-your-own-device (BOYD) policy before allowing staff members to access business databases with their smartphones or tablets,
- Ensure the local database administrators’ passwords are not identical to the ones necessary to access information on the database servers
- Implement proper information disposal procedures before destroying or removing obsolete sensitive information on business databases, and
- Formulate and implement a contingency plan and data breach response strategy to deal with the fallout of cyber-crime.
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Tips To Minimize The Risk From a Database Breaches
In addition to taking necessary measure to prevent the occurrence of a potential data breach, companies should also:
- Take out an insurance policy to minimizes their potential financial losses in the event of an unfortunate data breach,
- Conduct regular scans on the cyber-security software applications protecting the business databases to ensure their effectiveness,
- Implement proper egress filtering measures to prevent employees from making honest mistakes when disclosing information on the database,
- Reassure customers that their confidential information and credit details remain secure from all forms of cyber-attacks,
Companies should even consider hiring cyber-security specialists to assess the vulnerability of IT infrastructure to potential data breaches. These professionals should have adequate experience in the field of cyber-security and expertise in tackling various cyber-crimes. Moreover, the corporate enterprises should insist the experts pay special attention to business database network servers.
Even small companies have to be aware of the above threats as they are vulnerable soft targets. They must resort to seeking the help of credible remote database management and consulting companies for the task. The experts from these companies will look into their database security requirements to give them customized solutions to keep their businesses safe from data loss and harm caused by cyber-criminals looking for a soft target.
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