Who Is Your Biggest Cyber Liability? Maybe It Is Not Who You Think.

 

If a poll were taken and the top threats to our national and cybersecurity were voted on, the usual suspects would be easy to name: China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. You’d be half right. Those countries are the biggest foreign threats. But the biggest threat lately is internal, and it’s third parties with poor cybersecurity practices.

The latest breach involved the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). According to a statement released after the discovery of the breach, “CBP learned that a subcontractor, in violation of CBP policies and without CBP’s authorization or knowledge, had transferred copies of license plate images and traveler images collected by CBP to the subcontractor’s company network. Initial information indicates that the subcontractor violated mandatory security and privacy protocols outlined in their contract.”