UC Berkeley Falls Victim to Data Breach

UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff have been warned of a significant cyberattack that could potentially compromise their data, including bank details and Social Security numbers. UC Berkeley’s Office of Emergency Management notified everyone on campus about the security breach and its potential impact.

A Statewide System Breach

This breach not only affects the UC Berkeley, but also the entire UC system statewide.

Hackers had gained access to secure files and were threatening to publish (or may have already published) stolen information on the dark web. As a cyber attack that has been made nationwide, it’s highlighted for many businesses and individuals that more care must be taken to help keep our data safe from the wrong hands.

The attack also involves Accellion, a vendor used to transfer files. It appears an unauthorized individual accessed, copied, and transferred UC files through this software. As such, this attack has impacted around 100 organizations.

Increasing Security

This breach proves the increasing importance of cybersecurity. Here are some basic steps businesses can take to protect themselves from emerging threats:

Store Data Using Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has become significantly more popular over the last few years, especially as more people are operating their businesses online as opposed to operating offline. Many, as a result, have been using cloud computing because it’s considerably cheaper than storing files physically.

It also helps to keep documents and files secure at all times, while also making it more freely accessible for all employees to utilize.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are a must but not everyone does them, which is surprising because passwords that are weak, can end up being the issue. With that said, you might want to get password software set up so that you’re only using the one password to log in to the software and therefore the rest of the passwords are stored via this program.

Train Your Staff

Staff as much as they can be of use, they’re also liable for things going wrong. You can only train them so much but it’s something that’s worth doing when it comes to security protocols, protecting and storing data safely, and just generally being more cautious when it comes to the internet.

Work with an IT Company

For many business owners, managing a business on a daily basis can be hard enough without having to factor in cybersecurity issues. Businesses are increasingly looking to IT professionals to take over their security and daily IT needs. For businesses affected by the breach, working with a trusted IT company in Sacramento may be a good way to secure systems against future attacks.

Use these tips to help ensure that an unfortunate data breach like UC Berkeley experienced doesn’t happen to your company.