Information security has become of enormous importance for companies in the current situation. One of the reasons for this is that customers have started using digital media more often to make financial transactions and business transactions. And this also requires great care to prevent data leakage.
In Brazil, the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) came into force in September 2020 and has as one of its most striking characteristics penalize organizations that do not adopt good practices to manage their customers' information.
If a company or public agency does not properly take care of a person's data, they may receive a fine that can reach R$ 50 million or 2% of gross revenue. Due to this scenario, the disrespect of the legislation is capable of causing serious financial damage, besides negatively impacting the institutional image.
In this article, we will present several factors related to data leakage. The intention is to help you learn more about the risks and take steps to avoid this problem. Read it carefully!
Understand more about data leakage and how it can happen
Data leakage is a practice that consists of undue access by third parties to information that is under the responsibility of an institution. In general, it occurs when a hacker can log into a database and collect private information without any interference.
This situation is due to security failures and inadequate employee procedures. In the latter case, it is common for a contributor to click on a malicious link that allows the cybercriminal to access the corporate network quickly.
It is very important that there is a heavy investment in cybersecurity to avoid this problem to the fullest. This initiative can involve both employee awareness and the application of financial resources in the acquisition of solutions (hardware and software) that address attempts at virtual scams, greatly minimizing the chances of the organization being the victim of hackers.
An information security strategy should be a priority in the corporate world, because the General Data Protection Act (LGPD) advocates that organizations need to be very careful about collecting, storing and providing information from people.
As we said, in case there is a data leak, an institution may be penalized and receive a high-value fine. It is also necessary to highlight that a virtual crime greatly shakes the reputation of a brand, greatly harming sales and profits.
What are the main types of incidents that cause data leakage?
There are a number of factors that increase the chances of a virtual attack reaching your goals. Therefore, it is very relevant that there is a solid knowledge about the security actions that must be followed to minimize risks.
In order to detail incidents capable of generating data leakage, we will explain situations that raise the chances of an institution being the victim of a cybercriminal. Follow!
Vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities in applications
Even if there is a great effort by the developer team to deliver very secure software, there are considerable probabilities of being identified, in the short term, loopholes and vulnerabilities that can be maliciously exploited by hackers.
Of course, it is crucial that good cybersecurity practices are adopted when creating an application, website, or system. One of the reasons is that these measures contribute greatly to minimizing the risk of intrusions and undue access.
It is also recommended that there be an ongoing effort to improve the information security capabilities of technology solutions. After all, cybercriminals use increasingly sophisticated means to improperly access corporate networks, and this should not be ignored under any circumstances.
By identifying vulnerabilities in a tool, the virtual criminal is able to cause a company's data leak, affecting corporate projects, brand credibility, and even customer routine.
Phishing
E-mail is undoubtedly one of the most widely used communication channels in the corporate world. Therefore, it is necessary to take great care so that this medium is not a virtual pest disseminator, which compromises the performance of equipment and the productivity of the team.
One of the main tactics used by hackers is phishing, a virtual scam that typically uses email messages to convince victims to click on a malicious link. Depending on the case, this mode of attack can greatly affect the performance of a device or the entire network of a corporation.
To avoid this problem and reduce the risk of data leakage, the best way is to bet on team awareness and the use of cybersecurity tools, capable of blocking the receipt of emails with dangerous links.
SQL Injection
It is one of the most sophisticated virtual attacks, because it consists of inserting malicious code into a web application, in which the SQL language is used for database management.
For this digital threat to be realized, it is critical that the cybercriminal finds a loophole in a website or system. It is also worth noting that the hacker, by having undue access to a web application, has the ideal conditions to promote the leakage of information.
Undoubtedly, this is a factor that justifies a great focus on cybersecurity and the development of technological solutions that prioritize good practices of institutional data protection.
Man-in-the
In this type of attack, the cybercriminal acts by positioning himself between two parties who are establishing a communication to be able to intercept the messages exchanged.
In general, the purpose of these attacks is to steal information from victims, such as login data or bank information, for example. In this way, the cyber criminal can retain confidential information, apply scams and make financial profits.
Weak passwords
One of the major information security issues includes the use of passwords that can be easily discovered by cybercriminals. An excellent alternative to combat this problem involves the adoption of criteria that make access codes to systems more difficult to identify.
In this case, it is valid to opt for passwords with upper and lower case numbers, symbols, and combinations. By discovering a user's code to enter into a corporate solution, the hacker finds fertile ground for data leakage.
Quality source code: the differential to eliminate the possibility of data leakage in your development projects
Developing applications,websites and various systems with quality source code is a major challenge, as companies must look for alternatives to minimize the presence of vulnerabilities and loopholes that can be exploited by digital criminals.
To strengthen cybersecurity, an interesting option is to bet on the bugscout solution,responsible for verifying that application codes are being built with a focus on providing as much protection as possible to corporate information. In this way, a company has more resources to prevent data leakage.
If you're looking for solutions to take on hackers more efficiently, contact us right now! We are available for your company to be properly protected from virtual threats.