Proofpoint has joined the growing global effort to support Data Privacy Day along with nonprofits, academic institutions, corporations, government entities, municipalities, and individuals. Held annually on January 28 and officially led by the National Cyber Security Alliance, this international initiative creates awareness regarding respecting privacy, safeguarding data, and enabling trust. As a Data Privacy Day champion, we recognize and support the principle that all organizations share the responsibility of being conscientious stewards of personal information.
Safeguarding corporate data and sensitive information should always be a top priority for companies. And while data breaches happen in a variety of ways, the vast majority of them have one thing in common – they can all be traced back to a person who received a social-engineered attack or otherwise put sensitive data at risk. Ninety-nine percent of cyberattacks rely on human interaction to work and security teams need deep visibility into their most targeted users to truly safeguard critical information. They can’t protect what they can’t see.
For example, it might be surprising, but executives aren’t always the top cybercriminal targets. In our latest Protecting People Report we examined email-based malware and phishing attacks against Fortune Global 500 organizations and found that workers in R&D/engineering and marketing/PR support were among the departments facing the largest overall risk from email-based malware and phishing attacks. They also received among the highest volume of cyber attacks. People-centric visibility into who is being attacked, and why, helps security teams ensure corporate and customer information stays safe.
Consumers can also take a number of proactive measures to reduce their risk and help safeguard their information. According to our latest State of the Phish research into over 3,500 working adults across seven countries, 45% of working adults admit to password reuse, more than 50% do not password-protect home networks, and 90% said they use employer-issued devices for personal activities. It’s important to create unique passwords, activate multi-factor authentication to your email and social networking accounts, use work devices appropriately, and fortify your home network with a strong password.
People-centric Security in 2020
In 2020, organizations need to know exactly who is being targeted and why, while also educating their employees on best security practices. It’s essential they take a focused people-centric approach to security strategies because cybercriminals are attacking specific people within organizations, not all employees.
We have pioneered placing people at the center of each organization’s defense strategy through a combination of the most advanced threat intelligence and security platform, deep employee visibility, and exceptional employee training. For more information on taking a people-centric approach to security, listen to our Protecting People podcast: https://www.proofpoint.com/us/resources/podcast and visit https://www.proofpoint.com/us/resources/white-papers/people-centric-cybersecurity-guide
Subscribe to the Proofpoint Blog