Regardless of whether organized hackers who benefit from global crises broaden their attack landscape or malicious insiders with time on their hands, there is no doubt, that the rise in data attacks have risen exponentially since the beginning of 2020.
Each day, there are new reports of hacking and data pilferage attempts that are growing as remote working is on the rise. Moments of crisis reveal people’s character; those looking to perform good deeds, while at the same time an equal number with no good intent. In such cases, malicious hackers bank on the goodwill of people in opening the back door of their computing devices and inviting them into stealing their data. This is why it is crucial to stop and prevent this activity as soon as possible without delay.
The critical issue is that as a traveling workforce or remote employees move away from the security blanket of the organizational safe perimeter, data is left vulnerable to theft. In almost every case, remote employees rely on personal devices and sometimes even shared computers or smartphones to connect to corporate systems and data. Such endpoints can be highly susceptible to theft as they could be unsecured at any given time. According to the Global Endpoint Security Trend Report released in 2019, over 42% of endpoints were revealed to be compromised and vulnerable. Hence, with a growing number of people using unsecured devices, this tiny weak link in the data security chain can be easily prised open and result in continuing damage to the business at a time when people and systems are susceptible to weakness.
A large number of organizations have little or no control over the kind of software that remote employees are using or running on their home or remote endpoints. These businesses may also have no clue on the type of web sites visited by travelling executives and hence, given limited options to check and address such deficiencies could leave confidential data open to hacking.
Most remote employees use some form of malware or antivirus security software when accessing corporate data. However, in securing organizational material such as sensitive and classified information, there is no knowing whether such software could be up-to-date or even sufficient enough to safeguard the data. Unfortunately, today, underlying and legacy security software is no longer relevant in ensuring that sensitive information remains safe.
And given the large number of phishing attacks taking place each day, a potential victim who clicks on a suspicious link or dubious attachment could launch malware into their remote systems and give cyberattackers the opportunity of stealing data and gaining access into corporate systems and networks.
Most enterprises use VPNs to prevent their corporate networks from being endangered by the public. However, VPNs are no longer safe as it has been proven that malicious codes can still be executed and havoc can be wreaked on exposed data.
Despite organizations and security companies taking steps in helping businesses and employees manage the onslaught of data attacks, the worry is that no one knows for sure where the next data attack will come from. It can also be extremely challenging to educate new remote workforces and travelling executives who are unaware of data security measures while on the move. Such employees who are accustomed to the rigorous security of their corporate infrastructure may also be unable to comprehend how to protect data they access from their organization.
The only advice to organizations is to employ proactive data security solutions such as digital rights management and document security software that is specifically designed to prevent and thwart cyber attackers, malicious insiders, hackers and even trusted users from stealing data.
One of the best document security solutions out there for data attacks for PDF documents is PDF DRM.This delivers more than adequate protection to stop sharing of confidential and sensitive documentsand them ending up in the wrong hands. With data threats ramping up, organizations must identify endpoint security solutions that can be deployed within 24 hours. However, in situations where it is not possible to install and configure special software or hardware, it can help to bank on proven document security software such as DRM that can prevent any individual from altering or stealing sensitive corporate information. DRM can prevent the use of screenshots, deny printing and editing, stop forwarding and provide many other restrictions to ensure that the authorized user cannot carry out any activity with the PDF DRM protected documentthat has not been approved by the organisation. DRM works without the need for network access and offers additional restrictions and permission such as revoking or changing user access.
Desperate cybercriminals are managing to find various opportunities to steal your prized and confidential data. To ensure your information stays protected from data attacks, it is essential to establish digital rights management for your sensitive documents. Training a remote workforce against real-world cybercriminals in an isolated environment with tools that may not be easily accessible can be challenging. Hence, PDF DRM takes the initiative of safeguarding your information, through its robust layers of security, enabling you to establish total control over your outbound and inbound data. By controlling the use of your protected content based on specific geography, you could even limit access to individual devices and users. Hence, if computing devices get compromised, you can be assured that PDF DRM will prevent the misuse of any of your safeguarded intellectual property.
