Top 3 corporate data breaches of 2019 — why business VPN is a must

The problem

Over the past year, the media has shed a lot of light on significant corporate breaches, leaving the public worried about their data. In theory, the XXI century brought us a new digitized aged where, in some cases, we worry more about intangible things (such as data and information) than material items and our well-being. It seems as though all of a sudden, we became over-protective of our information, knowing that physical threats aren’t the risk anymore, making us feel powerless and helpless.

In this article, I want to go over what, in my opinion, are the top corporate data breaches of 2019 and analyze what can be learned from them, what tools can help small businesses. Media coverage always goes straight to the “big guys,” leaving small business owners to believe that they have nothing to worry about. When, in fact, small to medium-sized businesses are the typical victims of cybercriminals.

The VPN

A VPN could be called a cybersecurity prevention tool, as its main traits are security and privacy. A virtual private network is a software tool meant to disguise your IP address replacing it with your preferred one. The choice can depend on whether you want privacy while browsing or maybe want easy access to geographically inaccessible sites. Whatever the preference might be, a VPN is meant to encrypt all of your data that travels through the web, keeping it secure from cybercriminals.

A VPN may not be the answer to all your cybersecurity questions, but it can surely add a great deal of security at a lower cost. Most corporate breaches happen when former or present employees put company data at risk, some without even realizing it. A data breach solution, such as a VPN, is an easy tool to maintain the correct cybersecurity procedures. Now let’s go over the three different kinds of data breaches in 2019:

The breaches

1. Facebook — the infamous social media platform found it’s way into yet another data breach. On the 2nd of April 2019, UpGuard (a cybersecurity firm based in Australia) reported a Facebook data breach that had left 540M account information exposed and available on Amazon’s cloud service. Account information even included activity logs, where likes, comments, and interactions could be seen. It was announced that a Mexican-based media company Cultura Colectiva was responsible for the breach, having two third-party developers posting the account information on a public server.
2. Capital One — one of the largest banks in the USA reported a data breach on the 29th of July 2019. The responsible hacker Paige Thompson was accused of breaking into Capital One server and gaining access to over 140k social security numbers, 80k bank account numbers, and around 1M Canadian social insurance numbers. Private data was posted on GitHub (a software development platform) and was then tipped to Capital One directly. Overall the breach affected 106M people in the USA and Canada and caused $100-$150M in damage. Later, a Miami based law firm Colson Hicks Eidson fined a class-action lawsuit against Capital One. A data breach settlement can be expected as Capital One was thought to have not done enough to safeguard personal data. This means good news for the breach victims.
3. Canva — One of the world’s largest graphic-design platforms based in Australia experienced a data breach on the 24th of May 2019. A hacker called GnosticPlayers was responsible for the breach, he directly contacted ZDNet (a technology news website) bragging about his latest hack. He claimed to have accessed 139M user account information, including customer usernames, real names, emails, other background information, and 61M password hashes. Also, because Canva has an option of logging in through Gmail, 78M Gmail accounts were exposed.

Of course, you might be wondering how corporate examples can help small businesses. But this shows just how vulnerable all data is. Small businesses are the usual target for any lowkey cybercriminal only because he/she knows that most small businesses do close to nothing to secure their data; some not even password protecting devices, which should be the usual routine.

Millions of accounts and personal information are disrupted through data breaches, leaving customers feeling vulnerable. Distrust starts to appear between customers and brands, causing substantial business problems altogether. No good can come from a data breach, especially for small businesses, who usually don’t have sufficient funds to get back in the game after they take a hit.

The solution

How to prevent small business data breaches? There are solutions to choose from, but in my opinion, a B2B VPN is a tool that covers the basics and has a little-to-no learning curve. Of course, all businesses and even private users use anti-viruses and other anti-malware software, but a VPN will bring you one step closer to security.

Anonymity on the web is becoming an essential part of cybersecurity. When potential threats cannot identify you and your data, it becomes a Sisyphean task to hack or track you. A business VPN solution can create dedicated IP addresses and whitelist specific IPs to help strengthen in-house security.

There are things you should be on the look-out when considering a VPN, security being the number one aspect. There are free VPN providers, but poor quality and an underlying motive often follow a free service. When going through paid options, look for business solutions as they are designed for collective use. The most secure VPNs do not only have unique security protocols but are also based in countries with no data retention laws, meaning no obligation to store or share information with third-parties, law enforcement, and other officials. I’d recommend going with providers that specialize in the VPN industry like front-runner NordVPN Teams, a new B2B solution packed with business-related features. Or try PureVPN — a business solution also perfect for teams, offering different tier services.

The extras

As a business owner, you should also be invested in getting to know all the business-related updates. Keeping up with the latest data, breaches, and cybersecurity news will help you evaluate potential threats and also have more knowledge on the subject. I’d advise business heads to read up on Wired (cybersecurity tag), Forbes, and PCMag.

Also, don’t forget to share your knowledge with your staff. Sharing interesting or eventful articles in common chat groups or via email will attract further attention and spread the word about small business cybersecurity. All measures of knowledge and the right tools can help prevent data breaches from targeting small businesses. There is no real rocket science; it’s just a matter of implementing the correct policies and keeping yourself in the loop.