Why you should fear the "FedEx" guy more than the "hacker"
A few years ago I went to shop for auto insurance. The lady was very helpful but something about her desk concerned me. When she was done I told her manager:
“In the 10 minutes I have been sitting here I could have completely crippled your business or stolen all your data. See this?” I showed her my bunch of keys “This looks like a regular key, it’s actually as USB drive, all of your agents have their PC’s sitting on their desk between themselves and the customer. All I needed to do was plug in my drive and I could have transferred a virus or some kind of spyware to your network”
I suggested that, at a minimum they remove the PC’s from the desk and out of easy customer reach and also that they disable the USB drives on the PC’s.
I tell that story to illustrate the two greatest threats to your business data. No, it’s not some geeky teenager sitting in his parents basement around several screens.
Ever heard of Social Engineering?
This euphemism has nothing to do with social media or engineering. It has everything to do with how perpetrators prey on people’s false sense of security to gain unwarranted access to data. It’s the reason why many data thieves wear clothing that allows them to blend in, easily enter buildings. A "janitor" or a "courier"can get into most buildings without anyone giving them a second look. Many companies do not even lock their computer room. Even if they do, how many people would allow the FedEx guy to deliver a heavy-looking computer box into the computer room?
Understand this: getting through physical security is typically way easier than breaking-in through a network.
If you were paying attention I mentioned two threats. The other is User Ambivalence. Failing to notice or confront a stranger walking through the office or not being selective about which emails you open can go a long way in killing the company.
How can StorageHive help
Hosting or Co-locating with StorageHive eliminates several of the physical security concerns around your computer systems. No-one (not even me) can get into our data centre without being properly authenticated. Whether through the doors or the network we have military-grade security.
We can also provide Cyber Security Training for your end-users about how to better spot fake “phishing” emails and other threats. This makes them less like to randomly click on the phishing email and more likely to be alert as to their surroundings.
