Earlier this month, Disqus, a prominent networked community platform that’s used by hundreds of thousands of sites all over the web (including websites and blogs), was alerted to a security breach that impacted a database from 2012. This breach affected millions of users.
For anyone using a web-based network of any kind, this is a big deal, as it once again raises questions of whether or not companies, both large, small and everything in between, are taking enough cyber security measures to prevent hacking. Is your information really safe? After all, we, the average users, put our trust and our sensitive, personal information into the hands of networks like Disqus every single day.
While the investigation is still ongoing, the company does know that a snapshot of their user database from 2012, including information dating back to 2007, was exposed. The snapshot included email addresses, usernames, sign-up dates, and last login dates in plain text for all 17.5 million users. The stolen data also included passwords for about one-third of its users, which were salted and hashed using the weak SHA-1 algorithm.
A breach of this magnitude, affecting so many people, at such a prominent network is an important reminder that anyone conducting business of any kind online, can be exposed to hacking. So, our question to you – just how secure is your network?
It’s time to ask yourself, and your business, what kind of upgrades and security measures you should be taking to better prevent hackers from taking ahold of your network. Sure, if you found yourself in the middle of a cyber security breach, you could just reset your passwords on all online services and platforms to prevent the loss of further information being stolen and call it a day. But, the fact remains that your information has still been stolen and therefore is out in the open for anyone to use. Once it’s out there, you just can’t get it back.
Often, hackers use this stolen information in conjunction with social engineering techniques in order to gain further information from their victims. This is why affected users are told after a breach (and let’s face it, you should always beware of any fishy business that you see online) to watch out for spam and phishing emails that are armed with malicious file attachments that could take down your entire system. So, what can you do?
Well, first you must always take as many preventive measures as possible. To be proactive is to be prepared for anything that may come your way. The best defense is a good offense! After all, if a breach of this magnitude could happen to a company like Disqus, then it could happen to anyone. In fact, it happens all across the web on varying scales every single day.
That is why we take cyber security so seriously. Your business depends on it, and your security is our priority. We offer a number of cyber security services, including 24 hour monitoring and off-site backup and much more to keep you safe from malicious hackers. Don’t leave your business exposed to an unnecessary risk. Contact our expert team today. Let us evaluate your current cybersecurity practices and recommend the absolute best ways to improve the overall security of your network and its users.
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