Companies Warned: Beware Cyber Risk

Neither a company’s size, its location, nor its industry is a deterrent to cyber crime, which costs organizations an average of $5.5 million per data breach and can have an impact on the privacy of customers, employees, and business partners, experts say.

In the past, cyber-risk management was mostly about protecting intellectual property and trade secrets from competitors, says Mark Melodia, chair of the data security, privacy, and management practice at law firm Reed Smith. Now, because of changes in technology, it is easier for competitors, nation states, and the Mafia to infiltrate.

via cyber risk melodia symantec ponemon data breach.

Identity Theft – One of the Fastest Growing Crimes

Identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. It is important for consumers to recognize that identity theft is not just a financial crime. This crime varies widely, and can include financial identity theft checking and/or credit card fraud, criminal identity theft, governmental identity theft, and medical identity theft. Identity theft is a crime in which an impostor obtains key pieces of personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers and drivers license numbers and uses them for their own personal gain. It can start with lost or stolen wallets, stolen mail, a data breach, computer virus, “phishing” scams, or paper documents thrown out by you or a business dumpster diving.

via Identity Theft Resource Center | A Nonprofit Organization.