Protecting Client Data: 4 Tips Inspired by Facebook’s Data Security Fiasco

It’s not a fabulous time for Facebook, at least not if you are talking about data security, protection of client data – and brand reputation.

According to Bloomberg, BBC News, Time, Newsweek, MarketWatch and scores of other media sources, Facebook is posting its biggest fall since 2015 as U.S. and European officials demand answers to reports that a political advertising firm retained information on millions of the social network’s users without their consent. The social networking giant is facing intense and escalating scrutiny over the role third-party groups played in using Facebook during the 2016 presidential election.

What’s going on?

• As of Friday, March 23, 2018, Facebook’s co-founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has been called to appear before a House panel as fallout continues from revelations that data of millions of users was obtained by a political consulting firm linked to the 2016 presidential election.
• Prior to, the demand for Facebook to answer to what was essentially the harvesting of personal information is so strong that Time reports conservative legislator Damian Collins, who heads the British Parliament’s media committee, has proclaimed he will ask Zuckerberg or another Facebook executive to appear before his panel, which is investigating disinformation and ‘fake news’ and that it’s time for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to stop hiding behind his Facebook page.
• The data analytics firm – Cambridge Analytics – that worked with Donald Trump’s election team and the winning Brexit campaign harvested millions of Facebook profiles of US voters, in one of the tech giant’s biggest ever data breaches, and used them to build a powerful software to predict, analyze and influence choices at the polls.
• Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are calling on Facebook’s Zuckerberg to appear before lawmakers to explain how Cambridge Analytica was able to harvest the personal information. Facebook officials have previously testified about how its platform was used by Russian propagandists ahead of the 2016 election, but the company never put Zuckerberg himself in the spotlight with government leaders. The pressure may also foreshadow tougher regulation for the social network.
• Facebook said on Friday it had blocked Cambridge Analytica from Facebook while it investigated claims the London-based firm did not, as promised, delete data that was allegedly obtained using methods that were in violation of Facebook’s policies. Currently Cambridge Analytica and Facebook deny any wrongdoing, according to BBC reports.
• According to Facebook, apps use your personal information to personalize content, and help share the service with friends. Still, most Facebook users do not realize the full extent of data collection at play when leveraging apps.
• As of March 19, 2018, Facebook  shares are on pace to post their largest percentage decline in nearly five years, as the company comes under fire from regulators for allowing third-party group to access user information without those people’s permission.

According to the New York Times Facebook’s Role in Data Misuse Sets Off Storms on Two Continents, earlier this month, the New York Times viewed a set of raw data from the profiles Cambridge Analytica obtained and a former employee of the data firm described having recently seen hundreds of gigabytes of unencrypted data files on Cambridge servers.

The important thing to remember.

The important thing to always remember with Facebook, according to CompuData‘s Andrew ‘Drew’ Rosado, Client vCIO, is that any social media or browser, as well as search engine and/or website are data machines – designed to collect as much data as possible regardless of the relevance.

“The relevance to us doesn’t make sense, and on an isolated basis, it means nothing. However, when you collect billions of data points and begin to compare those trends against the millions of users using the same platform, you begin to tell a very interesting story,” Rosado cautions. “This is why Big Data is such a major trend. Again, data isn’t dangerous, but then it is used to push targeted propaganda, it’s amazing the outcomes we could potentially see.”

In this case, Rosado explains, Facebook allowed data to be taken, reviewed, and refined to target a political party. “Imagine if Mark Zuckerberg ran for office, how much data would he have available to him, and how could he model his campaign,” Rosado asserts. “Facebook is not the only company that must face these inquiries and we will see more about this across the board. The biggest question is will it change? Will they stop providing the information they collect? Will we stop giving it to them? Part of the reason Facebook works so well is because it monitors our trends. Who protects us in this situation? The companies or government? On either side of the ball there are definitely some concerns to be had – it’s new territory.”

While Facebook’s current and escalating issues are self orchestrated – they allowed data to be taken and compromised – most businesses today can make better decisions when it comes to the integrity and protection of data, especially companies that deal in Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

Here are four tips that any business can follow to keep their data safe.

1. Spread Cyber Awareness: Employee awareness of social engineering is essential for ensuring corporate cybersecurity. If end users know the main characteristics of these attacks, it’s much more likely they can avoid falling for them. As many people are visual learners, make sure to provide them with actual examples of these scams.
2. Watch Emails! Ensure all employees are wary of any email containing an attachment they aren’t expecting, especially if said attachment is a Microsoft Office file. Before clicking on anything, make sure they confirm with the sender (via phone, text, separate email) what it is before opening or clicking anything.
3. Watch Websites! Malicious websites and malvertisements are designed to look like a page or ad on a legitimate website. These sites can look incredibly real, featuring branding and logos, which is why so many end up giving cyber criminals their personal information or access to directly inject malware onto their systems. Typically, hackers will insert code into a legitimate site which redirects unsuspecting users to their malicious site. Be certain that employees understand this risk and embrace safe browsing habits, making sure they are accessing sites using the HTTPS secure communication protocol and being wary of any site asking for private information. Also, show employees how to check URLs that links point to by hovering mouse over the link to reveal the complete URL in the status bar at the bottom of the browser.
4. Create a cybersecurity training program! The cybersecurity training program you choose will be dictated by the specific nature of your business and the systems, software and hardware you leverage. However, a good start would be ensuring that all new employees receive training as part of their orientation and all employees receive training on a bi-annual basis. It is important to have a formalized plan in place to keep security front of mind and employees informed about new threats.

Got a question for CompuData’s Drew Rosado?
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