Data breaches are becoming more and more common in today’s society. All industries are at risk of a data breach and must take appropriate measures to reduce the risk. A data breach is a compromise of security that releases confidential information to a party that is unauthorized to view, steal, or use the data. The best way to avoid a data breach is to do your research and protect your business any way you can.
Here are 3 data breach myths you should avoid:
1.) “It won’t happen to me!”
False. It can happen to anyone. There are several actions that can lead to a data breach.
• Failure to shred confidential documents
• Medical documents getting lost or falling off a truck on the freeway
• Skimming type of devices that steal information from a credit card machine
• Printed stacks of credit card receipts at a restaurant or bar
• Stolen or lost laptop with customer sensitive data stored on it
2.) The bank will take care of it.
Don’t automatically assume that your bank will deal with an incident involving stolen credit cards. Payment processors will often times have contracts with businesses that allow them to recoup certain costs from the business.
3.) Data breaches only affect big businesses, not my small business.
Again, this is a huge myth. Data breaches can happen to anyone and can leave a business with a huge financial burden. Although small businesses don’t bring in as high of profits as a bigger business—it is still an easier target to data thieves.
It’s important to protect your small or large business from a data breach. Cybercrime is quite prevalent and that’s why we offer these safety tips to protect your business.