February Recap: Personal Identifiable Information (PII) in Data Security

This month, we focused on a variety of topics regarding personal identifiable information (PII). Personal identification information (PII) includes name, address, phone number, and medical history. Hackers steal PII from unwary people and organizations in the digital age and its increasing. It’s not surprising that cybercriminals are focusing on PII because it gives them a simple way to access financial accounts, steal identities, and engage in other nefarious deeds.

You can never really underestimate these hackers and the havoc they can wreak. Just to give you an idea, take a look at some of our latest blogs about PII.

Week 1: Top Data Breach Incidents in 2022

We recently listed the top 10 data breaches in 2022 in one of our blogs. Millions of innocent people have been impacted by these data breaches, which has unfortunately cost millions of dollars in losses.

Breach of Data to Steal Money

Attacks on cryptocurrency websites have resulted in the theft of $625 million from Ronin Crypto in the first quarter of the year and about $33 million from Crypto.com in January. Massive attacks have also hit Twitter and Microsoft, but fortunately, they detect them quickly.

Breach of Data to Steal Personal Identifiable Information (PII)

Other significant data breaches this year include the sale of stolen credit card information on the dark web, the theft of insurance and medical records from Medibank, an Australian healthcare and insurance company, and the theft of missing persons data from Red Cross.

How Data Breach Events Occur

The origins of these data breaches can be traced to the hacker obtaining access to someone’s personally identifiable information, which they then used to breach the company’s highly secure network, despite the fact that the objectives and methods of these data breaches vary.

Week 2: Acquiring knowledge of personal identifiable information (PII)

Any information that can be used to clearly identify a specific person is known as personal identifiable information, or PII. The full name of a person, their social security number, and their biometrics are some examples of PII because these are common to us. In one of our recent blogs, we expand on PII.

Hackers aim to obtain these pieces of information by any means necessary because of the influence they hold. Once they possess this vital information, they will have no trouble breaking into secure areas of businesses, both online and off.

Information Security Using a Data Privacy Framework

It is abundantly clear how important personally identifiable information is. Keeping this information as secure as possible is crucial in light of this. Utilizing a solid data privacy framework is one of the best ways to guarantee this.

Although there are many already in existence that you can use, it is best to have your own framework that was especially for your business if you want the highest level of protection. With such a security solution, you can feel safer from intruders.

Week 3: Keeping Your Personal Identifiable Information (PII) Data Safe

We discuss specific actions you can take to protect your personally identifiable information in a recent blog post titled 2022 – The Guide to Protecting Your PII. Regardless of your data privacy strategy, you should always take precautions to stay ahead of hackers. Some practical methods to safeguard your PII both online and offline are in our guide list. Read the entire blog post here.

Rebuilding your business security After a Hack

In order to protect your PII, you have taken great care and taken all the necessary steps. But even with all of this, some very cunning hackers might still be able to access your system. Here is a Free Breach Infographic to help you quickly repair any harm that has been caused. Do you want to know more about PII and data security? Give us a call right away, and let’s talk!