Reports are spreading across the Internet like a wildfire about the latest hacking victim: Dropbox. But there appears to be some controversy. Why? Dropbox is claiming the reports are false.
So was Dropbox hacked? Yes or No. Inquiring minds want to know!
There is a series of posts on the website Pastebin with teasers, each containing hundreds of logins and passwords from hacked Dropbox accounts. These hackers claim to have stolen just under 7 million user accounts and passwords.
Dropbox is claiming that the accounts were old and that their systems were not a victim of a successful hacking attempt.
This is just another reminder that ANY consumer grade system is a potential target for a hacking attempt. The more popular a service is, the bigger the target.
Services like Dropbox have millions of users globally. These services are very easy to setup and use without any involvement from your technology company, so they look incredibly attractive on the surface. There’s a lot you can get out of these services without having to spend any money at all, so why not take advantage of them, right?
Business owners should be concerned!
Business should NEVER trust any information to a solution like Dropbox. Why?
We have the obvious security risks. Dropbox has a huge target on its back, and a business should never trust any confidential or sensitive business information to their service or a similar one. This kind of consumer-grade system wasn’t designed to deliver the sure-fire security and confidentiality that a business with sensitive personal and financial information requires. No matter how much they promise their system is secure, the simple fact is that there are millions of users on it and no one is looking out for YOUR business directly. You have no way of knowing who is guarding your information, and you don’t get regular reports on the health of your security.
Sure, it’s an affordable service and the price tag often attracts those businesses who feel that an investment in a secured cloud storage and syncing solution is something that can go to the cheapest solution, but is it worth the risk to your business?
Even if the recent reported hacking attempt turns out to be false, there will be others launched against Dropbox, and one may turn out to be successful and impact your business.
Another serious risk to businesses is data theft from rogue employees using Dropbox services to steal your confidential or proprietary information. Yes, Dropbox is that easy to setup, and anyone can use it to steal your business information without you knowing. Do you have a security plan in place to prevent this from happening?
Most businesses do not!
What can your business do to prevent any potential compromise of your business information?
- If you need to continue using Dropbox in your business, change all your passwords immediately and put a plan in place to ensure your passwords change every 45 to 90 days.
- Dropbox also offers two-factor authentication for additional security. Ensure you set this up today!
- Prevent employees from accessing Dropbox unless they absolutely need to. This can be easily done by putting controls and rules on your firewall to block all potential traffic to Dropbox.
- Switch away from Dropbox when possible.
As your trusted IT service provider we can offer similar services to Dropbox for your business. The benefit of our cloud sync services is that WE control the environment for you, so you know exactly who is maintaining your service and your security. Together, we can customize the access your employees have, including setting controls for what each user on the system can do or share, and we can ensure you get the right size and speed of service for your unique needs. Talk to us today about our cloud file sync solution.
Have questions? Give us a call today and learn more about how we can help keep your business safe and secured. Our technology professionals can be reached at (403) 457-1478 or by sending an email to info@ctechgroup.net.
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