Shop Smart with Data Breach Detection 

Many have adapted most of their shopping to utilize online marketplaces. Although this removes some of the hassles, it comes with its risks. This is especially prevalent during holidays or even long weekends when shopping sites experience high traffic. Cybercriminals take advantage of anyone trying to shop or scoop up a limited-time deal hastily.  

For organizations of every size, it’s even more critical during these times to make sure your data is not at risk from a cyberattack. That’s where managed detection and response become an essential adjunct to any cybersecurity solution.

Cyber Attackers Are Ready 

Bad actors do what they do best while organizations are preoccupied—preying on unprepared companies with phishing, ransomware, email compromise, and other orchestrated takeovers. For companies without a dedicated IT team, or those dealing with ongoing IT staffing shortages, being diligent means deploying the latest automated cybersecurity resources.  

Ransomware continues to tick up as cyber attackers take advantage of remote workers and adapting IT staff. A long list of past system compromises occurred during holidays and long weekends, including the 2013 Target breach a day before Thanksgiving and the SolarWinds breach 2020 centering around the Christmas holiday.

Online Shopping Risks

It’s challenging for non-enterprise organizations to identify and respond to active threats during regular hours, never mind during peak seasons. The big shopping seasons are the perfect time for malicious actors to try to get into your network and systems.

On December 16, the Biden Administration’s cybersecurity officials warned business leaders to be on guard against cyberattacks during this upcoming holiday season, noting that hackers are often more active when Americans take time away from work.

Even those shopping outside these busy periods face hazards they must be trained to avoid. Online shopping is not as secure as hitting the mall, according to Duke University, as credentials can be used by anyone virtually without having that person physically present—as opposed to a retail store setting.

Cybercriminals create fraudulent, insecure transactions and target vulnerable computers, all designed to collect sensitive information. In 2019, 69% of consumers surveyed admitted to shopping while at work. If someone on your organization’s network falls prey to one of these traps, it could risk your company’s data.  

Unnoticed Data Breaches Magnify

The times’ employees would be away from their desks are ideal for attacks to happen and lead to a more difficult road to discovery, as breaches may lay undetected for longer periods. Yet some 24% of organizations do not have a contingency plan to ensure a rapid response over holidays and weekends.

Forensic and response teams provided by cyber insurance providers and others also have skeleton crews; therefore, it may be days or weeks before someone can come in and help if a data breach is detected. 

In addition to a thin IT staff, employees travel for the holidays and may be difficult to reach in an emergency. They may connect to public Wi-Fi in coffee shops, airports, or other hotels.

Other heightened data breach risk factors may include social engineering from out-of-office replies, sharing personal posts that bad actors can use for attacks, and scam emails and SMS messages that open the network to greater vulnerability and potential takeover.

Seeing Through the Fog

There’s a general lack of visibility to threats omnipresent, and how do you piece together all these levels of compromise without seeing the whole picture? Threats use various vectors or string-together tactics—unusual activities occur through existing vulnerabilities, but an individual can’t see the entire scenario at a glance.

 If you can’t see or stop a threat, that could cause your operations on both sides to halt and risk your data. Malware mutations seep into other programs and create thousands of variants, making many antivirus software programs that use static signatures significantly less accurate. 

You would need a large stack of tools to tackle a cyberattack’s prevention, detection, and response on your own, which would require multiple budget requests and costs that may simply be out of reach.

Getting a Clearer Picture 

The best data breach detection provides a complete picture across all your systems. Defendify’s Managed detection and response module are automated, utilizing artificial intelligence to consistently scan for malicious activity across all device endpoints, systems, and networks. This type of detection eliminates as many false positives as possible using machine learning to detect targeted malicious acts accurately. 

For companies with employees working remotely, securing home networks—including computing, entertainment, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices is advised to prevent a cyberattack. Educating employees to use separate devices for home and work activities is even more important.

One of the most effective ways businesses without internal IT resources can address data breach detection is with an outsourced team for analysis and response that stays on call, even while you’re off—coupled with a holistic cybersecurity approach that creates policies and a training program for employees.

Cybersecurity Posture with Defendify 

Creating policies and a training program is a task that can seem overwhelming, but it’s part of an effective, all-in-one solution. The Defendify platform includes phishing simulations, interactive awareness training videos, awareness posters, classroom training, and technology and data use policy to communicate employee expectations and align security objectives with legal and compliance goals. 

Detection and response is a robust layer of data breach protection that’s included in Defendify’s comprehensive solution. Within it are the advanced tools of MDR, threats alerts, and an incident response plan builder. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, having an incident response plan and testing can dramatically reduce remediation costs associated with a data breach. 

Defendify has a team of security experts on your side who can respond to potential data breaches, take action and alert you of what’s happening. We’re your virtual CISO, ready to help whenever or wherever you need.