The Optus breach is an opportunity to do IT better

13 Oct

No doubt you have heard about the staggering data breach at Optus a few weeks ago. What makes it even more unbelievable is that according to some sources it wasn’t a sophisticated hack. It was a humiliating case of simple theft.

A hacker who stumbled across an open door with no security and just walked in. Like a kid in a candy store they filled their sack with a combination medicare, passport and drivers license numbers as well as the names, dates of birth and email addresses of nearly 10 million Optus customers.

The Optus breach is very likely a turning point for Australian businesses and government agencies.

Not only does it highlight the risks of not having the right security in place, or the sheer volume of personal information collected by businesses in the name of ‘data is king’, but it lays bare a lack of understanding of privacy law and the lack of power and relevance that the law yields. (The $2.2 million fine for serious breaches has never been imposed)

At the enterprise end of town, things could be improved

Many cyber security executives sit in middle management, layered by competing interests whilst their own interests in keeping companies safe, are swept under the carpet. Privacy regulation is poorly understood and many who advocate for rights over our personal and business information are often flagged as preachers. It’s time to move cyber-security and privacy a few steps closer to the boardroom.

In mid sized businesses, it’s a great opportunity

Many small to medium sized business owners are unaware that their networks are lacking the right security and often the “IT conversation” never makes it onto the weekly agenda and stays in the low priority queue. It’s time to move cyber-security and privacy up the priority list and make it a discussion point.

Your productivity, accounting, workflow, marketing and ERP systems might be in the cloud, but your staff access points to them are likely in your network and on your devices that depend only on browser security and anti-virus/malware. Your team might be working from home or remotely in the field and are accessing your network outside of your security protocols.

It’s the perfect time to have a quick look at how your technology environment stacks up when it comes to security, customer data and of course, your own company data. RawTech can also help you better understand the privacy implications of storing customer data on site or in the cloud.

We are not here to preach or confuse with tales of doom and gloom.

We are business owners too and we’re here to help your business close the door on IT risk by: