If you are a business owner or a business executive, you are likely very concerned with ensuring that your intellectual property remains protected and that your clients’ privacy is respected. Unfortunately, cybercriminals do not share your concerns. In fact, hackers and other cyber thieves often target companies with the explicit purpose of stealing and exploiting otherwise private and protected information.
Under certain circumstances, you can file intellectual property litigation in order to bring civil claims against individuals who have been caught and have likely been charged criminally for exploiting your business’s private information. However, it is ideal that you do what you can to prevent these kinds of attacks from occurring in the first place.
Understand that your business is a target for cyber criminals, no matter how large or small it may be. In fact, small businesses are often more appealing targets because not every small business owner understands the importance of protecting private data. It is especially important that businesses take care to ensure that email accounts and web browsers are particularly protected. According to Insurance Journal, most cyber criminals enter business databases through these points of access.
If you are concerned that your business has already been attacked by hackers or other cyber criminals, please contact an experienced attorney as quickly as possible. An attorney can help you navigate both the criminal and civil sides of your situation. In addition, it is important to contact technical experts that can help you secure your remaining data. You do not want other criminals to attempt to exploit what has already been laid bare.
Source: Insurance Journal, “How Cybercriminals Attack Small Businesses — and 10 Ways to Stop Them,” Sep. 15, 2014