It is so hard to convince business people that it is not a good idea to keep unused data containing devices (like hard drives) stored around the office. One phone contractor recently mentioned that a bank client was doing just that – holding onto outdated or non-working hard drives that were stacking up around the office. Think about all the consumer information that could be stored on those hard drives – this is a data breach or compliance fine just waiting to happen. Often times company … [Read more...]
5 Tips to Outsmart Cyber Crooks
Cyber crooks are becoming more and more sophisticated in their attempts to victimize people and steal their sensitive information. Here are five tips that may help you stay one step ahead of cyber crooks. Tip #1: Protect against spear phishing by looking for incorrect or unusual URLs. Spear phishing is when cyber crooks send targeted emails to you hoping you will share personal financial information or passwords. Emails can look very sophisticated and may even address you by name or … [Read more...]
Proper Handling of Electronic Data
No one plans to have a data breach. People don’t intentionally leave themselves open to electronic data theft. But because some business owners and managers are not intentional about having a plan to protect their electronic data, many do put their companies at risk of a data breach or theft of electronic data. Most companies are aware of the risk of information theft associated with paper documents. Many have contracted with paper shredding companies to destroy their paper files. They will … [Read more...]
What’s PII? Personally Identifiable Information
HIPPA, PII, FCC, OCR…LMNOP! How can anyone keep track of all the acronyms floating around today? It's not enough to know what an acronym stands for, either – if business owners don’t understand how they apply to their business, they could find themselves in hot water PDQ! Let’s start with PII. PII stands for “personally identifiable information”. Organizations are under an obligation to protect the confidentiality of the information they have about people, including … [Read more...]