Data Security: There Really <i>is</i> a Monster Under the Bed

When I was a little kid, my annoying older brother used to warn me about the monster hiding under my bed—you know, the kind that only comes out at night and gobbles up frightened little boys. As a result, I don’t think I ever looked under there, even in the daylight (and it amazed me that my mom would actually get under there to clean!).  

Anyway, the idea was that if I didn’t look under the bed, the monster wouldn’t know I was there and thus would not serve me up as its latest culinary delight. And you know, this particular form of avoidance worked well, because—as you probably guessed—I never did have an encounter with that monster.

It occurred to me during the recent IASA Educational Conference and Business Show, however, that the insurance industry is practicing its own form of avoidance—or outright denial—when it comes to Internet security. I attended several sessions where this topic should at least have been part of the conversation, but on the rare occasion it came up, it was quickly whisked aside.

In the IT Town Hall in particular, when the conversation turned to social media in insurance, not one of the experts on the panel said a word about the security risks involved with allowing links from one’s enterprise to the vast networks of social media sites with which most of us are familiar. When I finally brought up the question, I was told that it was no big deal, and that insurance would deal with social-media-related vulnerabilities the same way it has dealt with other vulnerabilities.

Of course, to me that meant that insurance will not deal well with such threats, since our industry has seen attacks just like any other and hasn’t been particularly proactive in addressing them. In my own IASA session that focused on social media for insurance, several panel members did acknowledge the growing threat of cyber-crime, and it was clear that several of the insurers present were reluctant to fully embrace social media due to these insecurities and to associated legal vulnerabilities. This little bit of practicality gives me hope for our industry.

My point, quite simply, is that when it comes to the threat of attack via the Internet, there really is a monster under the bed—and he’s hoping you won’t look, because then he can keep doing more and more damage. I can understand that this is an unpleasant topic and we really all wish it would go away—kind of like the monster when the sun rises.  I can also understand that most of our companies probably won’t be victimized. The few who are hit, however, face huge costs to repair and replace systems—not to mention fines, possible lawsuits and loss of the public’s confidence.

Constant attention to this threat is step No. 1 in due diligence. Let’s not ignore it simply because we don’t like the thought of it.

Ara C. Trembly (www.aratremblytechnology.com) is the founder of Ara Trembly, The Tech Consultant, and a longtime observer of technology in insurance and financial services.

Readers are encouraged to respond to Ara using the “Add Your Comments” box below. He can also be reached at ara@aratremblytechnology.com.

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Data security Policy adminstration Security risk
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