cyber risk
Cyber attacks are the hot topic of 2015. Last year saw digital assaults on Home Depot, JPMorgan, and most famously, Sony Pictures Entertainment. But big
corporations aren't the sole targets of cyber attacks. According
to Property Casualty 360, 85 percent of data breaches occur at
the small business level, a threshold occupied by many in the
real estate industry.
In today’s technology-dependent society, real estate and title
agents are especially susceptible to these breaches because
they rely on computer and web-based systems to operate.
Real estate companies maintain and store the exact types of
personal information that cyber criminals want most: social
security numbers, credit/ debit card numbers, bank account
information, and driver's license numbers. The question most
daunting for businesses to consider is no longer if a breach will
occur, but when.
The fact that 75 percent of data breaches arise from human error
should be of particular concern to real estate professionals,
given the personable and hands on nature of the industry and
the increasing reliance on smart-phones and tablets. Extra
care needs to be taken to limit the damages that can be caused
by the theft of an easily lost mobile device. At the very least,
technology golden age
in the
By Woodie Van Horn; Gillis Ellis Baker
