The Connection Magazine A.I.M. Mutual Fall 2016 | Page 28

DATA SECURIT Y

Michael Stango
Michael Stango is the Information Technology Supervisor
for A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies. He has a background
in database programming, information systems analysis,
and project management, and leads A.I.M. Mutual’s Cyber
Awareness Training program. He is also the current chair of
the company’s Massachusetts Data Security Committee.

DATA SECURITY:
Protecting the Home Front

Figure 1
Root Cause of Data
Breaches

Figure 2
2016 Phishing
Campaign

FALL
FALL 2016
2016

AS information about cyber security
becomes more and more available, the
business community of the twenty-first
century may be misplacing resources in
the fight against cyber crime. It seems
industry experts, research firms, and
the media alike emphasize protection
against “malicious attacks,” but network
security infrastructure and software
can be extremely expensive. Perhaps
there is a more cost effective way for
businesses, especially small ones, to
shield themselves from a data security
breach.
It’s abundantly clear why the experts
give extra attention to malicious attacks
that may involve hackers, viruses, or
internal cyber criminals. According to
Ponemon Institute’s 2016 Cost of Data
Breach Study, 50 percent of reported
breaches by US organizations in the
study were the result of malicious or
criminal attacks. The cost of these types
of attacks was approximately $236
per record breached. However, system
glitches accounted for another 27
percent and human error accounted for
another 23 percent, costing the surveyed
companies $213 and $197, respectively,
per record breached. 1
Though malicious attacks were the
most costly for the surveyed companies,
they are also expensive to defend
against. Network security infrastructure

can cost companies thousands, and once
purchased, an expert must undertake
the grueling task of configuring the gear.
Network security software can also be
costly, but may provide an easier solution
for smaller businesses, as most of this
software is easy to install and configure.
Overall, the best protection against
malicious attacks is a combination of
security infrastructure and software.
Of course, that is, if your business can
afford it.
Mitigating the risk of malicious
attacks can be expensive, but protecting
your company from system glitches and
negligent employees may be more cost
effective if budgets are tight. In fact,
most operating systems will proactively
attempt to fix system glitches; they
simply require your blessing as an end
user. Take Adobe Reader, for example.
The average user has likely been asked
by this software to allow “required
updates.” Admittedly, between Adobe,
Java, and Microsoft, the update requests
can be fairly annoying. Still, these
updates tend to contain key security
patches that will keep your network
and data safe from loopholes that have
been exploited by hackers and cyber
criminals. It is strongly recommended
that all software is kept up-to-date to
help reduce the risk of system glitches.
As for negligent employees, a

28