Website User Security in Boston: The Reddit Security Breach

As your business grows and expands, it's a good idea to keep an eye on industry news to learn from the success and mistakes of others. The Reddit security breach is a strong reminder to businesses of all sizes that it is important to be careful when accessing other websites. Best security practices need to be taught to all employees, and they must be enforced to protect vital information. Greater Boston data protection is essential for the success of any business. IT solutions for business are available through Synivate to help companies of all types and sizes to protect everything from user data to email addresses, passwords, source code, and just about anything else.

What Happened to Reddit?

If you are unfamiliar with the Reddit security breach, it can be helpful to get some background information. The company recently disclosed that they were the victim of a security breach where a hacker accessed a lot of essential data and information, including email addresses, and a database backup from 2007 that contained "old salted and hashed passwords," along with log files, source code, and user data. The hack did not provide "writing access" to the system but allowed the hacker a "read-only" view of vital information. Users were encouraged to reset their passwords and use a two-factor authentication going forward.

Security is becoming more important every day as many busy companies are not stopping to take the time to implement application security and are making themselves a target for hackers. Applications are so widely used and can vary in degree with regard to the volume of personal data collected that consumers need to be even more aware of the dangers that lurk on the internet. Email accounts, passwords, banking information - hackers collect any and all data that they can get their hands on to use for numerous exploitations and attacks. Reddit's security was not enough to protect it, providing that increased security testing and implementation of best security practices for website user security must be a priority.

Tips for Greater Boston Data Protection

Your best bet is to work with a company like Synivate that can provide you with consulting services, security testing, and IT solutions for business that you can use to protect your essential data. However, in addition to increasing security, it is important to introduce all employees to tips for best security practices that will decrease vulnerability and enhance any security measures that you implement.

Some of those tips for greater website user security include:

• one password for all sites - this is a BAD habit that should be discouraged; if one app or log-in is breached, then all accounts would become a potential target; use a variety of passwords to minimize vulnerability or speak with Synivate about using a password manager for your employees
• SSL only log-ins - speak with employees about only logging into or visiting websites that have secure sockets layer or SSL protocol in place; this provides an extra layer of protection when employees are using office computers or networks to log-in to websites
• use two-factor authentication - any applications or websites that are used by your employees on a regular basis that offer two-factor authentication should be used to help protect online accounts; like SSL, this adds an extra layer of protection
• do not click on links sent in messages - any links that arrive via email or instant message are suspect; even if a partner sends a link that they want the employee to click, tell the employee to type in the URL and log-in separately instead; this is also recommended for personal emails for banking, credit cards, and credit services

Contact Synivate for Boston Data Protection

If your business is located in the Greater Boston area and you have concerns about website user security or would like assistance implementing best security practices with your staff, our team can help. We have many years of experience working as professional consultants and providing IT solutions for business in and around the Greater Boston region. Give us a call at 617-517-0704 or visit our website and use our online contact form to reach our team. We can provide you with additional information on the services we offer or meet with you for a FREE consultation to help you determine your security needs.