Protecting Your Data
Just as the use of the Cyber System has become ubiquitous, the Dark Layer is also increasing to epidemic proportions, almost like a disease. The penetration by Cyber Crime has also blossomed into a poisonous plant that has spread its spores throughout. Data is being evilly hacked or malevolently perverted or even deleted willfully, putting the complete Data Environment into peril. It is predicted that Cyber Crime will cost up to US$6 Trillion by 2021. The intense insecurity over protection of data has increased anxiety levels steeply worldwide, and is threatening to bring down the whole System as in a catastrophic universal landslide. Here are a few Tips To protect Your Data that may lay at least some of the worries to rest.
Some of these Tips To protect Your Data are as follows:
- Secure Communication: The use of more secure channels in preference to the others is often a good way to prevent subversion. A fine example is WhatsApp security channels, which use encryption (i.e. crypto coding) to prevent hacker access to interpersonal communication. It also allows tailored communications to customers and branches by companies, and allows them to transact business without hindrance or sabotage. The end-to-end encryption provided by some security conscious companies with strong technological bases is ideal for data protection, and is now being increasingly used everywhere.
- Adding Authentication: The act of adding layers of Authentication protects customers by making penetration of their confidential data by ill-intentioned manipulators more difficult. Real protection consists of many layers. 2FA, or Two factor Authentication, or Mobile Identity, or both, can add to the security of data. 2FA can be applied through SMS, chat apps, push and voice notifications. One-Time PINs for users create an additional Layer of Authentication. These were originally used by the adult escort app SkipThegames (seen here) to fight identity theft and fraud as adult sites are often targets for malicious actors online.
- Customer Education: The customer is the key, the basis for all protection. Many crimes are committed by the sheer inexperience and lack of knowledge of the customers themselves. Companies need to address the problem by educating the customer, often by holding webinars, emailed advice, public chat sessions over TV, mobile and so on. The main areas of advice should be on how to choose a password, and how to spot an email or web scam.
- Masking User numbers: The phone numbers used by customers need to be kept secret as far as possible, and masked by the large financial institutions and companies transacting the customer accounts, and tasked with protecting the data. Masking provides further layers of Authentication, privacy and protection.
- Sending Real Time Alerts: The posting of Alerts in Real Time can prevent the hacking and dilution of many accounts by indicating unusual account activity in time for redressal. The detection and prevention of fraud can sometimes only be addressed by a lightning fast detection and alert system. The system of permission and denial of transfer of large amounts of finance to other safe havens by the criminals, by the use of Real Time Alert systems have foiled many a financial crime.
- Secure Data Storage: The Storage of Data in a central place has always created more problems than it has solved. While storing all the data in a single location can be an advantage in many ways, such as protection by limiting access, and unifying Customer UX (User Experience), it can also be a source of weakness, by creating a sitting target for cyber criminals. But one thing is becoming abundantly clear. Customer UX is the key to higher Brand values in 2020, leading to far greater popular acceptance. Rather than price of the product and sometimes even the quality, it is the Customer UX that is being treasured the most by the sellers. It is here that Cloud Storage provides some of the best Security techniques available to be applied.
The Security Problem
A 2018 survey has clearly indicated that at least 73% of adults in the US have expressed their extreme concerns over the last few years about deteriorating data security. Another survey has shown that only 21% of people trust that companies handle their data with care.Over 66% of consumers have taken strong steps over securing the privacy of their own data. Data Protection is a vital factor for modern life in 2020.