What is Data Exfiltration?

In today’s world, there are security threats and data vulnerabilities that all businesses, large and small, should worry about. Data exfiltration is another threat you need to protect your business from because it’s targeting companies as secure as Microsoft and Facebook. Hence why it’s so important to learn about the problem and how to handle it before it targets your business.  

At American Lazer – CommSat, we have decades of experience and knowledge in the cybersecurity industry. Our goal as a business is to bring our clients safety and security, so contact us today so we can help protect your data! 

What is Data Exfiltration?

Data exfiltration is a security breach that involves an individual’s or company’s data being copied, transferred, or retrieved from a computer, server, or any other device without authorization. This type of data theft is difficult to detect, and therefore, hard to anticipate, because it can resemble typical network traffic.   

Is Data Exfiltration Dangerous?

Data exfiltration is a dangerous problem for your business to experience. It’s an instance of ransomware, meaning that hackers will block you from accessing your information until a sum of money is paid forward. Unfortunately, it’s not slowing down anytime soon. BlackFog, a data security company, reported in 2022 that almost nine out of ten reported ransomware incidents (89 percent) used data exfiltration, which was up from around 80 percent compared to 2021. These ransomware incidents result in a loss of vital data and high payments for millions of companies. The average ransomware payment reached $258,143 towards the end of 2022, a 13% increase from the beginning of 2022. 

How Does Data Exfiltration Occur?

In order to prevent this dangerous ransomware attack, it’s helpful to know how it occurs in the first place. Data exfiltration can occur in two different ways: via outsider attacks or insider threats. When it occurs through an outside attack, hackers get into a business’s system, often through easy-to-crack passwords, and insert malware on an internet-based device that will exfiltrate the data. When your network is vulnerable to insider threats, the hacker doesn’t need to infiltrate the network because they already have access. Whether it comes from inside your business or from an outside threat, the damage can be immeasurable.  

How Can It Be Prevented?

Now that you know how data exfiltration occurs, how can you prevent it? Our recommendation is that you proactively protect your data with professional IT help. Our IT services secure backup technologies and offer network security services to protect your business. This will help us detect and block any unauthorized communication that appears in your network. Reach out to us for a quote on our IT services! In the meantime, we recommend running a cybersecurity risk assessment to find out how vulnerable your business is to threats.

Contact American Lazer – CommSat to Protect Your Data

Your business shouldn’t have to suffer from ransomware attacks like data exfiltration. Our team at American Lazer – CommSat works with businesses to strengthen their data privacy and bring them peace of mind. We’ll work with your business to pinpoint your vulnerabilities and block them from hackers. Get in touch with us to learn how we can protect your business.