Security Breaches Emphasize The Need For Online Backup Solutions
Among the top stories in the Sci/Tech Category in Google News this week include two news clippings that talk about high-profile security breaches. The first one involves a state-run prescription drug database in Virginia while the other, a health services database belonging to the University of California at Berkeley.
In the Berkeley case, hackers stole personal information of at least 160,000 individuals including those of students and alumni of the prestigious university. For the one in Virginia, over 8 million patient records and 35 million prescription records were hacked from the computers of the state’s Department of Health Professions.
The Virginia database thief was even bold enough to inform state officials that he deleted the stolen database but was keeping a copy protected with his own password. What’s more, he proceeded to demand a $10 million ransom in exchange for the said password.
It wasn’t quite clear if the State of Virginia, in fact, did not have any data backup on hand for such important health records, or even if the information was worth paying the $10 million demanded. One thing is quite clear, though. As the global financial crisis drags on, we can expect more of these attacks. Perhaps some desperate computer geniuses who have lost their jobs end up as cyber criminals, attacking systems with loose security.
Now, as institutions begin to strengthen their defenses, some of these crooks can turn to less profitable but more vulnerable prey – ordinary people like us. All it takes is one wrong download, and your system can be open to malicious eyes. You wouldn’t want those eyes prying into your computer, would you? Or worse, grabbing your files and holding them for a high price.
One solution for this would to avoid keeping your data all in one place. Remember that you would need to safeguard your data not only from fraudsters but also from hard drive crashes, viruses, and even natural and man-made disasters. Online backup solutions like Carbonite can provide a safe haven for your files plus the added benefit of being easily accessible from virtually anywhere.
There are numerous portable backup solutions like pen drives, optical disks, or even external hard disks. However, you’ll have to carry these devices around all the time. With an online backup solution, you don’t have to bring anything with you. Plus, you’ll only have to pay a very small amount in exchange for the assurance that your files are protected all the time. The service I use, Carbonite Backup, costs only less than $5/month. Now that’s way below any ransom any hacker would ask from you.
