Their external data, when collected from any number of shopping, social or messaging sites are so integrated in our lives; they can be the all-access pass into the company system.
Data privacy at the C-Suite level is critical in today's hyperconnected, competitive market.
Protecting an executive's personal and professional data ensures that confidential information, important business strategies, plans and upcoming initiatives remain safe.
It's important to understand that threats facing executives, separate from the rest of the workforce, are real and on the rise.
As companies report more cybercriminal attacks on senior-level executives, especially with business or personal accounts as a tool, protecting personally identifiable information should be a top priority.
Executives are increasingly targeted directly or used as pawns in a larger organizational scheme, which can compromise sensitive business data and lead to unexpected, exorbitant costs.
Data privacy, internal and external, helps minimize the risk of corporate espionage in the form of hacking.
The next step to stay ahead of threats is External Data Privacy.
This allows an organization to audit and secure data that is already outside of the organization which could be used in a malicious way.
Executives' personal information and online activity, such as email, social media or shopping behavior, may be used against them if they are not secured properly.
Organizations are also at risk, directly, or as byproducts of their staff's poor External Data Privacy.
These social engineering techniques can be used to breach security systems and gain unauthorized access to valuable data.
Executives must be cautious about the information they share online and be vigilant against suspicious emails or messages asking for personal details.
The recent rise in social engineering calls for heightened awareness about data privacy and protection.
While attacks are increasing for executives, as is the cost of data breaches, the investment into external data protection needs to keep pace.
With the financial impact of global cybercrime on track to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025, there is no better time to invest in an External Data Privacy strategy.
Hackers are responsible for the bulk of digital crime, but the greatest threat is human error accounting for more than 80% of incidents, ranging from an executive with poor EDP or a team member clicking on a bad phishing link.
As socially engineered threats become more widespread, and more executives become targets, monitoring for external risk across organizations will be a necessary addition to a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy moving forward.
Harry Maugans is the CEO of the Privacy Bee, a proactive privacy company.
In 2012, Harry founded and became the CEO of Clickagy, a data intelligence platform for digital marketing and analytics.
This Cyber News was published on www.cyberdefensemagazine.com. Publication date: Tue, 09 Jan 2024 06:13:03 +0000