{"id":4587,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:36","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/smallbusiness\/business-operations\/protecting-customer-data.html"},"modified":"2024-06-06T03:31:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T08:31:48","slug":"protecting-customer-data","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-operations\/protecting-customer-data.html","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Customer Data"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Protecting Customer Data<\/h1>\n
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\n By Susan Buckner, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Aviana Cooper, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

These days, almost every business needs to have cybersecurity measures in place. The days when identity thieves rummaged through dumpsters for credit card slips are gone, replaced by exotic data scraping and packet sniffers that pull information from your servers.<\/p>\r\n

Business owners are responsible for protecting customer data from theft or misuse. Credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and other personal data are prime targets in a data breach. Data protection technology evolves faster than you realize, so security measures put in place last year could be obsolete this year.<\/p>\r\n

Read on to learn ways to assess and update your data protection systems<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Review the Sensitive Information Your Business Keeps<\/h2>\r\n

Small businesses may not be as vulnerable to hackers as large corporations, but today, nobody is safe from cyberattacks. Reviewing your data can help locate what data you have and what vulnerabilities exist.<\/p>\r\n

Personally identifiable information (PII) is any data that can distinguish a person’s identity online. PII is trivial information, such as "What is your favorite pet?" Apps gather this information, and thieves use that data to answer security questions in another account.<\/p>\r\n

Business owners should review their information base periodically. What information is stored? Is it compliant with data privacy storage laws?<\/p>\r\n

If You Don’t Need Data, Don’t Keep It<\/h2>\r\n

When paper files were the norm, storage was at a premium. Paper files take up space. Once electronic files became common, the amount of sensitive data available to cybercriminals soared because it is easy to keep and overlook.<\/p>\r\n

The best way to keep sensitive data safe is to eliminate it when you’re done using it. Do not retain credit card information without permission from the customer and secure encryption. Encrypt employee tax information and store it in a secure server.<\/p>\r\n

Securing Sensitive Data<\/h2>\r\n

Data theft has come a long way since the phishing scams<\/a> of the 1990s. Phone scammers still exist, as do the "Nigerian princes" of the early email days. These old methods have given way to sophisticated virus injection methods, spyware and malware, packet sniffers, and data scraping. Some criminals no longer bother with stealing data. Ransomware attacks use viruses to freeze a system and then threaten to wipe or dump the data unless the business pays the ransom.<\/p>\r\n

A good data security plan protects your entire plant: physical, electronic, personnel, and business practices. The best way to keep data out of the wrong hands is by ensuring all your people know what those are.<\/p>\r\n

Physical Security<\/h3>\r\n