In the News
In Youth-run agency AIESEC exposed over 4 million intern applications, Zack Whittaker at TechCrunch discusses lacking security measures at the global non-profit, AIESEC left millions of applications unprotected. Whittaker explains that user data was exposed for around a month, yet AIESEC has stated that this incident impacted a maximum of forty individuals and that such individuals have been contacted.
Our Take
Data exposure can happen at any company at any magnitude. While it seems positive that only forty users had their data exposed, the reality that a security flaw went unnoticed for a month is cause for concern. Consumers place their trust in companies, organizations, and platforms when they upload their personal information onto such sites and unfortunately, this data is not always protected as it should be. The AIESEC security flaw was live for a month, but some companies have security flaws leaving consumer data exposed for years. Additional regulation is needed to enforce the protection of user data, but consumers need to take the initiative as well to self-regulate who has their information and how much information is shared.
Recommendations
How can you protect your personal information from being exposed to data breaches?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Minimize the number of accounts that have direct access to your bank account or card numbers
- Use safe password practices when creating online accounts, and take advantage of Multi-factor Authentication where possible
- Check your email, financial accounts, and credit reports regularly for abnormal activities
- Stay up to date on the news regarding recent fraud and phishing attacks to see if you may have been affected