The Danger of Leaked Plays (and Data Breaches)

You’re out on the football field. You’re ready for the snap. As you crack your knuckles in anticipation, you think about the play that your coach selected. It can be risky, but you know that this play is unexpected and was purposely selected to go through without a hitch.

There are only 10 seconds left in the game and 20 yards to go. The the other team is up by four, so you’ve got to make your final offensive play count.

The play starts – the ball flies into your hands and you mentally prepare to rocket it towards your wide receiver. As the offensive line holds the opposing team, you start searching for your receiver. You finally spot him … but he’s being covered closely.

You begin to panic.

There’s no way the opposing team could have known about this play. You frantically search for your tight end, hoping that they can carry the play to completion.

But they’re covered too.

In your search for a viable pass, you neglect to notice the 6’ 3’’, 300-pound corn-fed behemoth charging towards you. You hit the ground hard, and the play ends.

Game over – you’ll get ‘em next time.

What are Leaked Plays?

When the opposing team finds out exactly what your team is going to do, you’re put at a severe disadvantage. Like the final play of the big game, you must rely on keeping your plays secret so that you can execute them with full effectiveness.

However, when you suffer from leaked plays, your plans go out the window. Leaked plays give the opposition the exact information they need to stop you in your tracks. They’ll know your first steps, your next moves, and even your contingency plan.

In other words, if they get eyes on your plays (or even worse, your playbook), you’re in big trouble.

Football is built around having plays that serve a unique purpose. They can be centered around gaining precious yards, stopping the other team from completing passes, and even simply to confuse the opposing team.

Leaked Plays in Business

It’s true that businesses don’t necessarily have entire playbooks dedicated to their IT strategy. But they do have policies and procedures – and those are close enough. Much like football plays, these policies exist for the express purpose of preventing cybersecurity issues.

Unfortunately, leaked plays are all too common in business. 55% of organizations have had a security incident or data breach due to a malicious or negligent employee.

When your employees leak critical information, it can lead to dangerous cybersecurity breaches. These breaches often cause damage in the form of downtime, financial or legal penalties and reputational impact.

In fact, the potential for loss of customers is considerable. 31% of consumers said they discontinued their relationships with the breached entity following a data breach, while 65% said they lost trust in the organization after being affected by one or more breaches.

In short, leaking your security “plays” can cause your business to suffer considerably, and then some. But there’s hope – partnering with an experienced manage service provider can help you lock down your plays and keep them away from prying eyes.

Data Breach Protection

To stop cyber attackers from intercepting your plays and wreaking havoc, you need a few things. For starters, data encryption is important for all of your sensitive information. With it, you significantly reduce the chances of anyone getting their hands on your data.

Secondly, you should implement intrusion protection and detection systems – things such as firewalls, IDS, and IPS. These will help to keep intruders well away from your information.

Another helpful approach to reducing data breaches is to deploy security patches as they come. Patching your firmware and software reduces chances of data intrusions because they keep security standards up-to-date based on vendor and industry developments.

All of these steps (and more) are helpful for stopping leaked business plays – we’re pretty good at stopping them ourselves. Want to know more about how we can help secure your playbook? Contact us today – we’re more than happy to help.