Introduction and Topic Overview
The feared and sometimes awed-gun-toting bank robber has been replaced by a sophisticated algorithm-wielding computer systems manipulator. Today, businesses have shifted into a new paradigm predicted on computerized systems; criminals have also metamorphosed to use the computer systems as a means of perpetrating crime. The over-reliance on computer systems by modern entrepreneurs means that a breach into the system can not only be debilitating for most organizations but also lead to massive losses (TrendMicro, 2018). On the other hand, breaching computerized systems have been very rewarding for modern criminal (Robb, 2015). For a start, the value of data has risen exponentially, both as a tool for research and also as a means for perpetrating online fraud. Many companies store vast amounts of customer data, which is a major attraction for cybercriminals. On the other hand, actual online robbery strategies have been developed such as a denial of service where criminal hijack an online system and prevent its owners from accessing it until a ransom is paid (TrendMicro, 2018).
The combination of a definitive need for computerized systems and the risk caused by cyber criminals has spawned a multi-billion dollar global cyber security industry. The said industry, which also includes government and private sector liaison focuses on combating cybersecurity threats using well-established strategies and tools. The instant essay evaluates the various strategies that, having been tried and tested, have been found to be effective in mitigating the potential and actual data breaches by cybercriminals. The weakest link in any cyber system is its human component, making the training of staff among the most important strategies in cybersecurity (Robb, 2015). Encryption is also one of the fundamental tools and entails keeping data in a manner that makes it hard for cybercriminals to make use of it, even if they manage to access it (Mudrakola, 2017). Backing the data up, on the other hand, makes it available to the company even after the databases have been breached and the data carted way. Conversely, there is the proper maintenance of hardware and keeping software up to date so that it can benefit from the most up to day protection. Having a proper limitation of access through, inter alia, proper credentials is also a critical mitigation factor. Whereas there may be no definitive approach for preventing cyber-security threats, several strategies and tools have been developed that give organizations a fighting chance against cybercriminals .
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Best practices to mitigate/prevent data breaches:
Training of Members of Staff
Perhaps the most important and indispensable data breach mitigation and prevention strategy is the training of the members of staff on how to keep the cyber system safe. Even the most advanced, elaborate and expensive cybersecurity system would be ineffective without the well-trained human talent to maintain and run it (Gramigna, 2017) . On the other hand, such a system can also be easily breached in an incompetent or assuming member of staff was used as a conduit to bypass the security system. The first essential form of training is based on the specific form of computer network and cyber security system being used (Robb, 2015) . Members of staff should be trained on how to handle, run and maintain the system. The second type of training relates to data breach awareness. Every member of staff should have some form of training of the strategies that cybercriminals use to perpetrate data breaches (Gramigna, 2017) . For example, gadgets connected to the company’s cyber networks should not be connected to other networks such as the employee’s home networks.
Conversely, private gadgets that have not been cleared should not be connected to the company’s network. Awareness also means being able to detect a potential or actual security breach in the system by spotting warning signs (Leaver, 2013) . Part of the training should also include creating awareness for any such warnings to the relevant senior staff immediately for further action. Investing in the training of staff is the most important strategy in data breach prevention and mitigation.
Encryption
A well-trained staff is critical but not sufficient on its own; hence the need for secondary strategies key among them being the encryption of data. Encryption can be defined as a means of encoding data in a manner that only an authorized person can be able to make use of it. When data is encrypted, it also protects the privacy of the company and its clients as even of such data is carted away, it cannot be accessed. In most encryption strategies, the data is gibberish to anyone who does not have the encryption key (Gramigna, 2017) . It is important to note that encryption may not prevent data breaches per se but it can be an effective mitigation measure and can also discourage cybercriminals from breaching the system (Leaver, 2013) . For example, if it is well known that all the data stored by a company is encrypted with an impregnable tool, criminals will not bother breaching the system as they will not benefit from the breach. Further, data is most vulnerable when being moved from one point to the other in the system hence the need to keep it encrypted at such times to protect it (Mudrakola, 2017) . Encrypting all data except what is in active use at any particular moment in time is thus a fundamental data breach mitigation strategy.
Data Backup
Even highly encrypted data can still be lost in a data breach; hence the need to have a data backup that the company can revert to in the case of data losses. Data backup can be defined as a system of data duplication that enables a second copy of data to be available in the case the original copy is lost or destroyed (Melee, 2018) . Cybercriminals will go to great lengths to cover their tracks, and some of the strategies they use may lead to the obliteration the data in the breached system. On the other hand, a denial of service attack can lead to the intentional and permanent deletion of data. Having all data backed up in a secondary and secure system is the best guarantee against data loss. After the data has been lost, the secondary copy can be extracted enabling the continuation of services. The best data backup is one that happens in a secondary location from where the main data is kept. Among the available data strategies for back up is retaining a copy of data in an offline data storage or contracting a data backup company, or both (Gramigna, 2017) . Data backup is essential to mitigation of data breaches as it minimizes the damage caused by the breach.
Maintaining Software up-to-date
The ability to encrypt and backup data as well as keep it safe relies on, inter alia, in having up to date software programs hence the need to regularly update programs as a data breach prevention and mitigation strategy (Brown, 2017) . It is easy to consider keeping software programs up to date as merely an administrative issue, but it is also an effective security measure. Out of date software programs opens the door for cybercriminals who may have strategies and tools that the software is not programmed to deal with. Every software update comes with upgrades and patches for security flaws based on the latest understanding of potential attacks. A scan-based on updated technology can also discover and repair vulnerabilities in the system (Brown, 2017) . A secure system can lose its security status when it is out of date hence the need for regular software updates.
Strong Credentials and Multi-Factor Authentication
The protection afforded by the up to date software should then be supplemented by strong credentials and multi-factor authentication to add to the prevention and mitigation of data breaches. Cybersecurity has to strike a balance between usability and security as a very secure system that cannot be accessed even by legitimate users is counterproductive. The traditional mode of access involves a simple combination of a user and a password (Melee, 2018) . This combination is elementary at best and can be abused by cybercriminals to breach the system. For better security, it is important to add further layers of security into the system access process. The credentials used to access the system should be strengthened through the use of strong regularly updated passwords that cannot easily be guessed (Mudrakola, 2017) . The use of biometrics can also add another layer to the identification and authentication process. Conversely, the use of a time factor in the authentication process limits the ability to manipulate the system (Brown, 2017) . A cyber system can be accessed by a criminal who masquerading as a genuine user hence the need to use strong credentials and multi-factor authentication.
Conclusion
The strategies and approaches described above may not be foolproof or a guarantee against a cyber-attack, but they do improve the chances of an organization it prevents or mitigate cyber breaches. The use of the term ‘mitigate’ is in itself an admission that the potential for a data breach is still possible. Cyber networks are complex and complicated systems hence their usefulness and indeed indispensability to the modern organization. The complex and complicated nature of cyber systems, however, also makes it hard to protect them from data breaches definitively. Prevention and mitigation of data breaches are thus critical to enable organizations to keep using cyber networks without becoming too vulnerable to attacks. As reflected above, training of members of staff is critical, so is keeping all data encrypted, and backed up respectively. The software should also be kept up to date while the authentication processes should be made complex but still usable. Based on the above, two critical areas of research can be recommended. The first relates to the ability to create an impregnable cyber system that is also cost-effective. The second area of research should be how to mark data; the way bank money is marked by ink so that in the case of a data breach, the data can lead directly to the criminals. These two recommended areas of research can go a long way in preventing and mitigating data breaches.
References
Brown, E. (2017, December 22). 5 Best practices to prevent data leaks in 2018. Retrieved from https://www.itproportal.com/features/5-best-practices-to-prevent-data-leaks-in-2018/
Gramigna, K. (2017). 8 Ways to Prevent a Security or Data Breach. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.business.com/articles/kristen-gramigna-ways-to-prevent-security-data-breach/
Leaver, C. (2013, September 25). 5 tips for successfully preventing data leakage. Retrieved from https://ziften.com/5-tips-for-successfully-preventing-data-leakage/
Melee, C. (2018, August 01). Data Breaches Keep Happening. So Why Don't You Do Something? Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/technology/data-breaches.amp.html
Mudrakola, S. (2017, November 02). 5 effective ways enterprises can prevent data leaks in the cloud. Retrieved from http://techgenix.com/prevent-data-leaks-in-the-cloud/
Robb, D. (2015). 10 Tips to Mitigate Data Breaches. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.esecurityplanet.com/network-security/10-tips-to-mitigate-data-breaches.html
TrendMicro (2018). Data Breaches 101: How They Happen, What Gets Stolen, and Where It All Goes. Retrieved April 7, 2019, from https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cyber-attacks/data-breach-101
