Society of Payment Security Professionals - Payment Security Blog

Verizon Data Breach Report

Bryan Sartin invited me to a Webinar last week that summarized the Verizon/Cybertrust data breach analysis. Kokie Tjan informed me there is a PDF summary available online of the Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report.

This is the 10,000 foot view of a horizontal industry (payment systems).  Don’t forget to focus on how data breaches and risk applies to your specific vertical industry (i.e. higher ed, hospitality, travel and entertainment).

Sometimes those risks that affect the wider industry apply directly to you and sometimes you have very specific vertical industry threats.  As you may recall, one of my manrtas is “attack vector based risk management”.  In order to understand your risk you must understand the threats and ways an attacker values your data and systems.

It’s not always just the type and volume of data you store.  It’s also understanding how attackers view your exposed systems and what they think is easiest to attack and monetize.  Just like sailing a boat is not only about your skills as a mariner, you are also affected by the wind and water around you.