Is Getting Hacked Simply a Matter of Time?
According to the Director of the FBI, the answer is yes. And many experts agree that if a hacker wants into your network, it is virtually impossible to stop it from happening. The fact is, however, getting hacked is often the user’s fault, to one degree or another.
How Are People Hacked?
Consider the following stats that lead to vulnerabilities:
- Password Re-Use – Nearly half of people reuse passwords rather than having a different password for every site they log into. While this can be a tough habit to break for the sake of convenience and memory, it only takes one phishing email to put a person’s login credentials in the hands of a hacker. If a person uses the same password for both personal email and for work, the hacker has what is needed for a breach.
- Stolen Credentials – Millions of smartphones are stolen every year; most were left at restaurants, in taxis, at bars, and the like. Most people save passwords on their mobile devices for ease of use, which gives the thief access to login credentials that can be used or even sold.
- Media Vulnerabilities – About 9 out of 10 employees like to have music playing while they work. But hackers can use many of the modern media players as their in to a network that does not have a proper firewall in place.
The fact is threats come from within, and not just from a disgruntled or greedy employee. Often, the vulnerability is the result of a genuine mistake on the part of an innocent employee who has either not been trained properly to detect a scam or who just isn’t being cautious enough.
Should You Bother with Security?
The short answer is yes. The fact that you may get hacked anyway shouldn’t move you to leave yourself open to attack. Think about the theft of a car. The first thing the insurance company will ask is whether the car was locked and if the alarm was set. If you say no, they may not even have to pay. Likewise, your customers will expect you to have done all you can to avoid a data breach. There may even be lawsuits or a fine from a government agency if the proper protection is not in place.
Whether getting hacked is simply a matter of time or not, companies have no excuse for lax data security measures.