There are probably a lot of networks and such that are vulnerable to cyber criminals and hackers and such. It may be due to technical problems or a lack of awareness, though you should remember that the problem may be more because of a very determined hacker or cyber criminal. The problem may even come from within your own company. Whatever the reasons are, here are seven reasons your database may be vulnerable.
1 - Your information is valuable
There are probably many networks out there that are vulnerable. Though the level of risk is often subjective because the more valuable your information is then the more at risk you are. If your network contains information that is important to you but is otherwise of no importance or value to the world, then this information is not really at risk. Hackers will not spend time, effort and money breaking into your database to find out the rate of your hair growth over the last few years. It is vulnerable because if what it contains. You can fix this problem partially by hiding what it contains from the world. The less people that know what your database contains, the better as you significantly lower the risk. Sure, some people are going to put two and two together if you run a credit card information company, but otherwise keep the contents of your database a secret.
2 - A lack of segmentation
There needs to be a clear division between your departments and between your staff. Remember that a lot of the threats to your database come from within. Does your marketing dept really need direct access to sales figures? Cannot they get reports from the accounting dept instead? Better still, cannot they be released and discussed at board meetings instead of allowing your marketing staff to see how many units you sold in each town. Cross-database information may be more efficient, but it is not as safe--so you have to make the choice between safe databases and efficiency.
3 - Copy protecting your database
Most databases will come with some sort of copy protection that makes it harder for people to copy sections of a database. What many people forget is that there is more than one way to slap a bald man. In other words, a person may copy your database files by less obvious routes. Even something such as a screen-print may be used.
4 - Bugs that have been missed or ignored
A bug is not a problem until somebody learns how to exploit it, and that is what hackers and cyber criminals are out to do. Hacking is more about opportunism than it is about raw skill. The same applies for thieves, as it may be good to be an expert safe cracker but every thief prefers that the safe be left open in the first place.
5 - Not protecting data movement
This is just another little loophole that some people forget. The best ones are when the systems are backed up and all of a sudden an entire database is flushed into the backup area and the cyber criminal’s server. There are hackers out there right now that are building software that lies dormant and undetected until your next big backup processing takes place. Data moving from one computer or one department to another is at risk, so make sure your network is secured and that data transfers are safe.
6 - Poor on inconsistent database management
A routine maintenance schedule that is not routine, or updates that are unfinished, or changes that were never completed, all are ways in which poor database management may make the data more vulnerable. Vulnerabilities also come about if your data is not maintained and checked, as numbers or items may go missing without your knowledge.
7 - Your encryption is poor or lacking
You may have seen this sort of thing yourself when you have had a job. For example, you may work at a supermarket in the admin section and notice that the password rotates every two weeks. You may also notice that the password rotates based on the date or something else that makes hacking the database even easier. You may have even noticed the password tacked up on the wall somewhere. This sort of thing seems okay at first, but when one of the staff quits you realize just how much they know and how easy it is for them to guess or crack your future passwords. If there is no encryption at all--then this invites problems.
Author bio:
This article is written by Kate Funk from http://www.aussiessay.com. She is the author of numerous essays on SEO, internet, marketing.
Post a Comment