Trend Micro unveils new report dissecting data breaches

With organizations across all industries experiencing cyberattacks, Trend Micro Incorporated, a leader in security software and solutions with its USA headquarters located in Irving, TX, released on September 23 a new report, “Follow the Data: Dissecting Data Breaches and Debunking Myths.” The report analyzes each element within a data breach including attack methods, motivations and how stolen data is used, providing key insights for businesses to understand the nature and likelihood of breaches in their industry.

“Most organizations, regardless of size, have experienced at least one data breach, but the initial data loss is only a small part of the broader cybersecurity nightmare,” said Raimund Genes, CTO, Trend Micro. “With data breaches becoming a daily occurrence, our Forward-Looking Threat Researchers (FTR) closely analyzed the entire lifecycle of the stolen data to provide businesses and individuals alike with defensive practices to reduce their likelihood of becoming a victim. While it is crucial to build public awareness of the risks and repercussions of compromised data, it is incumbent upon policy-makers to intervene and create effective solutions to mitigate threats.”

Trend Micro FTR examined Privacy Rights Clearinghouse’s Data Breaches database and analyzed reported incidents over the past decade to determine key trends from conception to execution. The analysis found that the five most frequently breached industries – healthcare, education, government, retail and financial – accounting for 81.3 percent of all disclosed incidents. Additionally, the team determined the most common attack vectors were malware, insider threats, payment fraud and unintended disclosure. The most commonly compromised data included Personally Identifiable Information (PII), health records, financial data, education data, payment cards and credentials.

“Any business or organization that processes and/or stores sensitive information is a potential target,” said Numaan Huq, senior threat researcher, Trend Micro. “By providing a better understanding of the nature of these attacks and how data is used throughout the process, organizations and individuals can better protect themselves and be prepared to respond effectively if and when a breach occurs.”

Report highlights include:

• Examining the top five industries most frequently breached and the cybercriminal methods used to steal data.
• Diagnosing data breaches to determine attack methods, extent of damage and the probability of the type of data to be stolen or lost based on industry.
• Post-data breach analysis identifying what data was stolen, by whom, and potential ways it will be leveraged.
• Defense methodsfor organizations to integrate within business operations to mitigate fallout, including a response plan for successful attacks.

For the complete report, please visit: http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cyber-attacks/follow-the-data

Source: Trend Micro