7/25/2023 0 Comments Equifax data breach lookupBut collective inaction for decades has created a security deficit that will take significant time and money to make up. This increased focus is beginning to translate into some concrete data protections and security improvements. Additionally, as ransomware attacks have evolved beyond encrypting a target's systems and demanding a ransom to include data theft and extortion, institutions have had additional incentives to bolster their digital defenses. Over the past 10 years, however, as corporate and government data breaches have ramped up-impacting the data of billions of people-institutional leaders and the general public alike have finally begun to understand the urgency and necessity of putting security first. They’ve gone through some of the motions without actually making digital security a spending priority. Yes, it’s a difficult, never-ending process for a large organization to secure its inevitably sprawling networks, but for decades many institutions just haven’t really tried. Data “exposures” occur when information that should have been locked down was accessible, but it’s unclear if anyone actually stole it. Many of these incidents don’t necessarily even involve hackers. ![]() Furthermore, in cases where a company or institution gives your information to an additional party, you’ve often agreed to share more data than you realize by clicking "I accept" on a dense user agreement. Unfortunately, you can’t keep your information perfectly safe: It is often impossible to avoid sharing data, especially with organizations like governments and health insurers. ![]() Think of consumer data breaches as coming in two flavors: breaches of institutions that people choose to entrust with their data-like retailers and banks-and breaches of entities that acquired user data secondarily-like credit bureaus and marketing firms. ![]() Sometimes the affected company will send you an email or letter suggesting that you change a password or credit card number, but for the most part, these incidents are invisible-until they aren’t. Names, email addresses, passwords, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, credit card numbers, banking data, passport numbers, phone numbers, home addresses, driver’s license numbers, and medical records-they all get swept up by shadowy, amorphous hackers for fraud, identity theft, nation-state surveillance, and more. It Seems like every week there’s another massive corporate security breach that exposes your personal data.
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