3,000 Patient Data Breach Emphasizes Security Importance

Security,
08
Apr 2015

Data_Breach

A Wisconsin based Chiropractic clinic has leaked data from approximately 3000 patients. Read the story here and learn how to protect your data.

The chiropractic clinic in Wisconsin had to notify all 3000 of their clients regarding an incident which involved their data being breached. It had come to light late November of last year when it was realized that an ex-employee and chiropractic practitioner had extracted critical client information.

The former employee had access to client data to carry out their daily role in the clinic. They went a step too far by stealing client information away from the business. The information breached included details such as client’s names, direct contact details, date of birth, insurance information and even social security numbers. The perpetrator soon resigned after carrying out the dirty deed. Officials believe that this was a classic ploy to solicit clients for the perpetrator’s own gain.

What was the motive?

Without a customer base, there’s no business. So what makes customers highly valuable besides what they may spend on your product or service? In short, it’s their data. With client data, a business will have a deeper insight into the demographics of their client base, along with contact details and other personal information. There is much power to be gained by having a list of hot leads.

In this case, this former employee has stolen the business right from under the clinic’s feet.

How to protect your business from data breaches

Although it’s easier said than done, simply setting up protective measures to safeguard your business information is an essential step.

Practical solutions that can be implemented right away

Non technical solutions

  • Be sure to carry out background checks to ensure that potential employees have no criminal offences- especially if it pertains to fraud. The same can be done periodically for existing staff.
  • Have new and existing staff sign a disclosure document to protect the business’ data, where breach of data can lead to liability.
  • Training and educate staff on what constitutes potential data breaches.
  • Have your attorney update your company’s T&Cs to protect the business in the event of a breach.

For more ways to secure your data and systems, contact your local IT professionals.

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43 Percent of Companies had a Data Breach Last Year
43 Percent of Companies had a Data Breach Last Year

Report: 43% of Companies had a Data Breach Last Year

Office IT, Security,
24
Sep 2014

43 Percent of Companies had a Data Breach Last Year

A recent report from the Ponemon Institute shows 43% of companies had a data breach in the last year. Here’s how you can harden your office security.

The report cites data breaches affecting as many as 20 million people in one incident.  Criminals can use many different avenues into a company’s systems to steal client, proprietary or private information which then gets sold on the black market.  Here are some ways to harden your office security:

Keep an Eye on your Hardware

Data breaches often occur in the form of viruses, trojans or malware being installed on office computers.  These infections give criminals full control of the computer, even if it doesn’t look like it on the surface.  One of the first signs of infections are high hardware usage:

Patches, Updates and Security

When Microsoft releases updates to fix security holes, anyone is able to look at the update and determine exactly which weakness was fixed.  This is why it’s important to keep your system and anti-virus updated and patched:

IT Policy Enforcement

The first line of defense for any office or individual is a proper IT policy.  This means putting in place rules on systems or as policy to office staff on how to manage data to prevent infections and data breaches.  Here are some best practices we recommend:

For more information on managed IT services that can provide 24/7 monitoring, maintenance and IT management to prevent data breaches in your office, contact your local IT professionals.

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