IBM: Configuration Errors Responsible for 70 Percent of Compromised Records
according to a recent report
"In 2015, using the Shodan search engine, a security researcher tapped into a number of misconfigured cloud databases that were world-readable without any form of username or password authentication required. Since then, other researchers have uncovered these unprotected caches of data, using the same tools and techniques to uncover misconfigurations. Finding such servers can be as simple as entering a URL into a browser to see if it returns a directory listing. There are also open-source scripts that make scanning for open cloud storage much easier, drawing more attackers to look for vulnerable places," said the IBM report.
Getting more specific, the three most common types of configuration errors leading to data breaches were: misconfigured cloud storage (2.2 terabytes of data compromised this way), misconfigured cloud databases (1.23 terabytes) and misconfigured rsynth, NAS and backup (1 terabyte). Your office's IT staff will likely know what this means. Perhaps, reader, you should forward this story to your CIO.
The report really drives home the point that, to analogize, you can spend thousands of dollars on the biggest, thickest, most secure door there is, but it's useless if someone leaves open a window on the other side of the house. Getting more specific, the three most common types of configuration errors leading to data breaches were: misconfigured cloud storage (2.2 terabytes of data compromised this way), misconfigured cloud databases (1.23 terabytes) and misconfigured rsynth, NAS and backup (1 terabyte). Your office's IT staff will likely know what this means. Perhaps, reader, you should forward this story to your CIO.