Former Equifax CEO Blames IT Staff for Mega Breach

Posted: October 5, 2017 to News.

Tags: Data Breach, Malware, Compliance

You're most likely aware of the Equifax data breach, and if you're not you should be since odds are one in two that you were affected by it. In the aftermath, CEO Richard Smith stepped down, but he hasn't been out of the spotlight. Smith has been spending time in Washington lately, taking abuse from lawmakers as he tried to field questions about the hack that exposed the personal info of fully half of the country. While Smith had plenty of reasons for what went wrong, including saying the buck stopped with him and the fact that Equifax's own scanning software and half-billion cybersecurity systems missed the hole that allowed the hack, he also had a finger to point. The data breach happened because a security patch wasn't applied. In Smith's words, "An individual did not ensure communication got to the right person to manually patch the application." Translated: "Blame the IT guy." The thing is, he's not exactly wrong on that point. If the unnamed IT worker had made sure the patch was applied, none of this would have happened. How confident are you in your own business's IT team? Do you even have an IT team? Whether you have one person, a team, or nobody at all, it might be a good time to review your cybersecurity. Click here to learn how you can find an IT provider you can trust.

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About the Author

Craig Petronella

CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

CMMC-RP NC Licensed DFE MIT Certified CompTIA Security+ Expert Witness 15+ Books

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Former Equifax CEO Blames IT Staff for Mega Breach

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