October is Cybersecurity Month….did you know that cybersecurity incidents and attacks are the fastest growing crimes in the world? Why is this? A major reason is because the value of personal information has increased exponentially over time due to the number of ways that criminals may use personal information to steal from individuals and companies and the sale of personal information is becoming more valuable for similar reasons. Companies must recognize this as an increasingly high business risk and take measures to mitigate the risk. Risk mitigation should include, among other things: attention to technology vulnerabilities and investment into ensuring that entry points into company systems are secure and moving with the times; documenting policies and procedures including physical and technological access controls, data mapping, and employee training. Employees, whether IT professionals or otherwise, all have a role in protecting the company’s assets, including customer information, confidential information, and trade secrets. Have you trained your employees lately on cybersecurity risks and red flags? Have you been trained and understand these risks and red flags?
Author Allison Cole is the firm’s counsel who focuses on privacy and cybersecurity matters. As a former compliance officer of a public company, she holds a certification as a compliance and ethics professional as well as a certification as an information privacy professional. She can be reached at 330-497-0070 or acole@www.kwgd.com
NOTE: This general summary of the law should not be used to solve individual problems since slight changes in the fact situation may require a material variance in the applicable legal advice.