Fishing for the Basics of Data Security and Protection

Phishing for Data
Phishing for Data

You may be wondering if all this hype about data security and protection is really necessary to discuss. My organization has spent countless hours and resources to protect us. I’d rather just go fishing.

Before I provide my thoughts on this topic, let’s take a look at how data security and protection is defined. A quick search will show many results with similar descriptive attributes.

Check out how Fortinet defines data security. In brief, “Data security is the process of safeguarding digital information throughout its entire life cycle to protect it from corruption, theft, or unauthorized access. It covers everything—hardware, software, storage devices, and user devices; access and administrative controls; and organizations’ policies and procedures.”

Now be honest, did you click on the text link above? Why? Was it because you believe this post to be from a trustworthy source?

Didn’t I just state “I’d rather just go fishing.” Oh, my mistake, I said fishing when I meant to say phishing, and you have been caught if you clicked the link. While the link above directed your browser to a harmless site, you MUST always verify the link address before clicking on it. Clicking on a malicious link can allow an attacker to perform unintended actions, such as receive information about you, install malware on your device, and exploit your network, to name a few. One way is to hover over or copy the link into Notepad to visually inspect the address for the expected host domain. However, often times the link is obscure and doesn’t give enough information to make a determination of trustworthiness.

When in doubt, DO NOT click on any links in an email, text message, or other source. Use an alternate method to retrieve and/or provide information, such as going directly to the source website in question.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has an article titled “How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams.” I encourage you to do your own search for the article or simply click on this FTC (link is trustworthy) link to the article for more information on protecting your organization and yourself from phishing scams.

Fortinet has provided important information for this post. Fortinet is a global leader in cyber security solutions and services. Here is the actual (for real this time) link to the Fortinet data security page. Please review at your leisure to learn more about data security and protection.

In conclusion, do I think all this hype about data security and protection is really necessary to discuss? My answer is a resounding YES! Our clients entrust us with their data and Donlon Agency takes that responsibility to heart to do all we can to maintain the trust and confidence or our clients.   

Stay vigilant in your pursuit to keep data secure. In the future, expect to see more posts that dive into differing areas of data security and protection.


Written by:

Dan Riddell

Dan Riddell