Introduction
Data breaches can have devastating consequences for companies. High profile data breaches have exposed millions of customers’ sensitive information, resulted in huge financial losses, and severely damaged corporate reputations. In this article, I will examine some of the biggest data security mistakes that have crippled major corporations. Understanding these errors can help organizations improve their own data security practices.
Equifax – Failure to Patch Known Vulnerabilities
Equifax was crippled by a massive data breach in 2017 that exposed the personal information of 147 million people. The breach occurred because Equifax failed to patch a known vulnerability in Apache Struts, an open-source software used on one of its websites.
- The Apache Software Foundation had released a patch for the vulnerability months before the breach. However, Equifax failed to apply it, leaving the flaw open to exploitation.
- This highlights the crucial need to promptly install security updates and patches to software and systems. Neglecting to do so left Equifax’s systems open to attack.
Target – Lack of Segmentation
In 2013, Target suffered a data breach where cybercriminals accessed the payment card data of approximately 40 million customers. The main factor that enabled this was Target’s lack of proper network segmentation.
- Target had very little separation between different parts of its network. As a result, once the attackers compromised a single entry point, they had access to practically the entire infrastructure.
- Proper network segmentation isolates systems handling sensitive data. It ensures that even if one area is breached, attackers cannot easily move laterally through the network.
Yahoo – Failure to Encrypt User Data
From 2013 to 2014, all 3 billion Yahoo user accounts were compromised in a series of breaches. The largest factor that enabled this was Yahoo’s failure to encrypt user data.
- Yahoo stored user account information including passwords in plain, unencrypted text. This made it easy for attackers to obtain and read all of it.
- Encrypting sensitive data is fundamental. Even if systems are breached, encryption ensures the data is inaccessible and useless to cybercriminals.
Uber – Lack of Multi-factor Authentication
In 2016, hackers accessed the accounts and data of 57 million Uber riders and drivers. This occurred mainly due to Uber’s lack of multi-factor authentication for its cloud servers.
- Access to these servers was protected only by single-factor authentication using usernames and passwords. Without multi-factor authentication, attackers were able to brute force the credentials.
- Multi-factor authentication requires users to verify their identity in multiple ways before gaining access. This greatly enhances account security.
Takeaways
Major data breaches often occur due to elementary, yet catastrophic security oversights. Failing to promptly patch vulnerabilities, segment networks, encrypt data, and use multi-factor authentication have ruined companies. Organizations must avoid these mistakes by making data security a top priority. Implementing strong technical controls and following cybersecurity best practices is essential.
