Digital Security Part 3: Detect odd activity
The longer an attack goes unnoticed, the longer criminals have access to your systems and operations.Even after you’ve taken steps to protect your data by beefing up your hardware and software defenses, you still need to monitor those defenses.
Just as you need smoke detectors, fire alarms and extinguishers in your facility, it’s critical to put tools in place that will help you quickly detect a breach and take action before the “fire” gets out of hand.
It costs less to take steps now to monitor and detect attempts on your data than to wait until the authorities or your card processor notifies you there’s a breach.
Watch for Digital Security Part 4: Respond quickly to data threats
Consider first setting up a web-log analysis tool that allows you to set a baseline of what your systems look like when they’re running securely.
Checking your systems at regular intervals will help you detect abnormal activity such as:
- Large files being transferred out of your POS system, e.g., customer credit card numbers you keep on file in case of a chargeback investigation
- Unexpected Internet and network traffic
- Unknown files, software and devices installed on your systems
- Disabled antivirus programs
- Increased after-hours activity on your systems
- Unknown applications that launch automatically when you reboot
Simply having a routine detection process can reduce the likelihood of a longer, bigger and more expensive data breach.
Detection procedures and tools can shorten the time it takes to learn of an attack or breach. The longer an attack goes unnoticed, the longer criminals have access to your systems and operations.
The faster you respond to a breach the more likely you are to contain most, if not all, of the damage.
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