Credit card hacks are nothing new. But as online shopping continues to be popular, hackers will become more motivated to steal customer data. What’s more, your own employees themselves may unintentionally compromise your network and make it an appealing target for hackers.
Thankfully, crime investigation methods have also advanced along with technology. Hackers may seem like they’re always one step ahead, but cyberattack prevention and fighting methods can also match their paces. Even if an inside job occurs, such as an employee hacking your system on purpose, certain data technologies can allow investigators to trace their activities.
But to make your business’s data inaccessible to hackers in the first place, you need to invest in robust IT systems. Excel spreadsheets and external hard drives can only do so much. In time, you’re going to need sophisticated data management software. Such software will come in handy when cyber threats occur. Aside from helping you secure your data, it can also store digital evidence that may be the key to solving a cybercrime.
That said, here’s how data management technologies have aided in cybercrime investigations:
1. Backup Systems Helped Investigators Track Electronic Communications
Before the dawn of cloud-based systems and other backup solutions, deleting a text message makes it unavailable forever. But now, even if a hacker hides their tracks by deleting the malicious emails they’ve sent, they can still be tracked through their IP addresses. If they corresponded with one of your employees, pretending to be someone trustworthy so that the blame will be put on your employee, copies of their email correspondences can serve as evidence of that.
The cloud can store an average of 1,000 to 1,500 copies of the last text messages sent and received from a smartphone. Moreover, mobile devices nowadays store information about the locations they have traveled to, and when they were there. A simple GPS device will enable investigators to track down a hacker and map out their steps.
2. Data Manipulation Made Traffic Sources Easier to Trace
Data manipulation is changing data to make them easier to locate or read. For example, if your business has heaps of data in your server, a cybercrime investigator may take a while to find specific data that are relevant to your case. But with data manipulation, you can organize your data into whatever order you want, and make them more accessible (to authorized users, of course).
The other perks of data manipulation include figuring out your tax obligations. This ensures your business’s compliance with tax regulations. If you ever run into some tax troubles, you can use your manipulated data to verify whether that’s really the case or to prove that you paid the right amount. That’s because data manipulation also shows your sales and accounting data.
Miscrosoft SQL server is the key to data manipulation. It’s a widely used Business Intelligence tool that allows you to retrieve data quickly and efficiently. In addition, it doesn’t require a code, so locating data is doable by simply typing keywords. It’s also portable, so you can embed it on other PC applications if you need to.
3. Cybersecurity Measures Prevented Accidental Data Exposures
Sometimes, it’s your own employees who put your business’s data at risk. Or perhaps even you, if you connect to your home’s WiFi network to conduct business. Chances are you use a weak password for your home’s WiFi network so that you can guess it easily. Well, hackers are expert guessers.
But thanks to cybersecurity measures and programs, you can still deter hackers even if you rely on your abode’s WiFi connection. Anti-malware software can detect malicious content and websites, preventing you from accessing or downloading them. If a hacker emails you or your employees malware, your anti-malware software will immediately warn you before you can even open the file or link.
4. Digital Evidences are Analyzed by Experts
Digital evidence is studied by forensic investigators who underwent training to perform such. They verify the authenticity of every screenshot, email, text, and website data. Hackers cannot fool them with fake material.
Forensic investigators collect digital evidence using a meticulous process. They won’t simply ask you for a copy of an email, and let you carry on with your day using the device they’re investigating. Instead, they will take over your device, so that they can prevent data alteration. They’ll document any activity on that device by taking photos or recording the information on the screen. A computer forensic expert may also be called to the scene. They’ll help trace criminal activity that may have gotten lost when the device was shut off.
Collecting digital evidence from an office may just be more challenging, especially if the server was off when they seized your device. Nonetheless, their expertise still proved valuable in the event of cybercrime or inside job. Without digital technology, data manipulation, and cybersecurity methods, hackers would’ve prevailed over us, and businesses would’ve been at their mercy.
