Five Tips To Protect Banking Customer Data
By Jason Sherrill
According to FBI Stats, nearly 70% of Data Theft Crimes Are Committed by People with Legitimate Access to Data from Inside
The Problem:
Firewalls, SSL-encryption, security guards, intrusion detection systems and sophisticated system login procedures can help to protect confidential data from outside hackers. However, database administrators walk right past security guards every day and can access all the customer records they wish. In the worst-case scenario, the employee can easily copy those records to a network drive, burn a CD, slip it in their coat pocket and walk out with sensitive personal customer data.
The Solution:
InetSolution, Inc. develops Web technology solutions, including security software.
The company’s president, Jason Sherrill offers the following tips to protect customers’ personal data:
- Enforce a security program within your business. Educate employees on the appropriate use of customer data and warn employees of the disciplinary and legal consequences of misusing data.
- Encourage Board and senior executive involvement with the security program. If the Board and management closely monitors adherence to guidelines, employees are more likely to comply.
- Protect customer data from outside hackers with firewalls and SSL methods. For protection from within the organization, use software such as InetSolution’s MemberProtect®* to safeguard confidential information from employees who, because of their positions, may have direct access to the data, such as I.T. staff and customer service personnel.
- If you feel there is an internal threat to your business’ data security, consider using employee monitoring and restriction tools that can inspect and report employee activities on the network.
- Reassure customers that you are taking steps to safeguard their information within your business. Caution them to not give out any credit card account numbers, PINs, passwords or other personal information to any unauthorized solicitor. It is also helpful to advise them to destroy any of their old bank documents, credit card receipts, etc.
*To combat both internal and external data threats, InetSolution created MemberProtect®, which encrypts data inside a database server as it is written, ensuring that data is protected regardless of where any security threats originate.