OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – It’s not just people who are victims of stolen identities and computer hacks.
Businesses say they are also increasingly bearing the brunt of cyber-attacks.
“Coming from the side that's trying to protect against them, we see attacks every day and it's not any different than any other company,” said Black & Veach Global Chief Information Officer James Waters.
“It can shut a business down, especially if it leads to some sort of ransom ware or extortion possibilities that businesses will have to face,” said SecureWorld Vice President Brad Graver.
Several companies gathered this week in Overland Park at the sixth annual Secure World Conference.
“We're here to help that community network with each other, get instruction, find the latest trends that are happening from a vendor perspective, as well as from each other,” Graver said.
Vendors and businesses partner to focus on practices to protect their data.
“It's analogous to Star Wars and the ‘force vs the dark side,’” said Symantec Channel Account Manager Chris Lang. “We have a lot of vendors here who are really trying to be the force to those evil wrongdoers who are hellbent on wreaking havoc in nation states.
“We have a really massive responsibility to build trust with our community and help thwart those attacks”
For individuals, conference attendees say there are plenty of ways to keep information safe.
Garver says people need to be aware of how much access you’re actually giving.
“Also make sure they (company website) have a privacy statement in place and change your password, and change it often,” Graver said.
Consumers should be vigilant when clicking external hyperlinks in emails.
“Because the evil wrongdoers are trying to trick people into downloading malware into their devices and it creates a big problem, so try to educate yourself,” Lang said.
Parents also need to monitor what their children are downloading on mobile devices and computers, because that can be an open door for hackers as well.
Finally, consumers should consider credit freezes, check their bank statements regularly and monitor both their credit report and their children’s credit report as well.
