Unauthorized use, disclosure, or theft of private information that is saved electronically constitutes a data breach. This data may contain individual personal details like names, addresses, Social Security numbers, financial and health information, private company details like trade secrets, intellectual property, and customer information.
Numerous methods, including hacking, phishing, malware, physical device theft, and insider activity, can result in data breaches. A data breach may result in monetary losses, reputational harm, and a decline in consumer confidence. Furthermore, data breaches may have legal and regulatory repercussions, including penalties and more excellent monitoring from authorities. To avoid data breaches and reduce the risk of identity theft, enterprises must deploy the proper security measures to help minimize the risk.
Sources of Data Breach
Organizations need to be aware of a variety of sources of data breaches, including:
1. External attacks: External attackers may target the company’s network and systems, such as hackers, to steal sensitive data.
2. Insiders: A data breach may be purposefully or accidentally brought about by staff members, independent contractors, or business partners who have access to sensitive data.
3. Lost and stolen devices: Devices that have been lost or stolen may contain sensitive data. These devices include computers, laptops, cell phones, and other storage media.
4. Social engineering: Attackers may utilize social engineering strategies, such as phishing or pretexting, to use staff members to disclose private data.
5. Unsecured third-party vendors: Organizations often rely on third-party vendors to handle sensitive data. Sometimes these vendors may not have adequate security measures, putting sensitive data at risk.
Secure document destruction and data breach
Discarded documents can also be a source of data breaches if they contain sensitive information. The process of disposing of sensitive information is known as “secure destruction.” If confidential or sensitive information is not adequately disposed of, it can end up in the wrong hands, either through intentional theft or accidental discovery. For example, if sensitive documents are thrown away in the trash and are not correctly shredded, someone could easily dig through the trash and retrieve the valuable information. Similarly, if sensitive data is stored on a discarded device, such as a computer or a smartphone, it can be accessed by someone who finds or acquires the device.
To prevent data breaches through discarded documents and devices, organizations should have policies in place for secure destruction. This may include methods such as shredding paper documents, wiping digital storage devices, and properly disposing of devices that are no longer in use. Additionally, organizations should educate employees on the importance of secure destruction and the potential consequences of not properly disposing of sensitive information.
USA Shredding Services
USA shredding provides a platform where organizations can connect with various shredding service providers. There are multiple types of shredding services offered by our partners, including:
- On-Site Shredding: Under this process, the shredding partner of USA shredding will send a mobile shredding truck to the organization’s location, and documents will be shredded on-site. This option provides maximum security, as the organization can observe the destruction process.
- Off-Site Shredding: Here, sensitive documents are picked up by a shredding service and taken to a secure facility for destruction. The shredded material is recycled appropriately, keeping a close watch on a greener environment.
- Drop-Off Shredding: Organizations can take their sensitive documents to a secure shredding facility, where they are destroyed.
- Hard Drive Destruction: This is a service that explicitly shreds and destroys hard drives, solid-state drives, and other digital storage media to prevent unauthorized access to data.
- Product Destruction: Product destruction is a critical service where the agency shreds and destroys products, such as uniforms, badges, and credit cards, that are no longer in use.
- Media Destruction: Another important service is media destruction. Here CDs, DVDs, tapes, and other forms of media that contain sensitive information are shredded so that no data can be retrieved.
Conclusion
When choosing a shredding service, organizations should consider the type of sensitive information they need to dispose of. They must also consider the security measures offered by the service and the cost. Choosing a reputable shredding service that follows industry standards for secure paper destruction and provides a certificate of destruction as proof of secure disposal is important.