How Does a Data Breach or Cyber Attack happen?
Many data breaches are not very high tech:
1. With the use of tablets, laptops, smart phones, and thumb/flash drives by much organization, simply losing or having these devices stolen can open up your entire treasure trove of protected data. Also being careless about where devices are used, by as simple as someone watching what you are doing to, transmitting highly protected data over an unsecure wireless network can give thieves all they need to steal your information and open your firm up to large damage claims by your customers.
2. They can start with firm employees gaining access to the information to either sell or use for their own purposes by using the same devices,
3. Phishing e-mails or phone calls have employees either through greed (of winning the Irish Sweepstakes). Fear(The IRS is coming to arrest you) or innocent voluntary give up sensitive information.
A little more high tech starts with a system user opening a suspicious e-mail, document attachment, or visiting a malicious website or a website that has been hacked and having the ransomware and many data breaches loaded onto your computer system.
However it happens, your organization is now exposed.