The Data Merry-Go-Round
Introduction
I came across an interesting article in BleepingComputer recently. In 2021, over 300,000 instances of databases were exposed on the web. So far in Q1 2022, the same researchers found 91,000+ exposures. So do the math—2022 promises to be worse.
The primary reason for these incidents—misconfiguration.
Criminals actively scan for accessible databases. In some cases, they’ll discover your data within 24 hours of being posted.
Organizations Must Take Responsibility
The first question to ask is, should the information be on the internet in the first place? If so, then take these protective measures:
- Only knowledgeable technicians should configure Databases
- Give access to only those that need it
- Monitor at all times
- Use strong authentication
- Use encryption
- Close instances after each session
Conclusion
The GDPR in Europe and recent State regulations have tightened privacy controls. Fines can be heavy. Non-compliance is not an option.
The bottom line: secure your databases!
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