Hacking: Where Victims Could Be Anyone

PROSECUTION: 

Hackers are notorious for targeting businesses big and small with their criminal activities. While bigger companies are starting to tighten up their security, cybercriminals are becoming increasingly clever with their methods of infiltration. In fact, the number of breaches increased by 273% in the first quarter of 2020 alone. Let’s look at a theoretical case involving the breach of a large retailer. 

With holidays fast approaching, the retailer had many third-party vendors accessing their store in preparation for the holiday season. The retailer felt confident that their current protocols were secure enough to keep the data of their customers safe, although the protocols had not been updated in almost a year. Soon, with the help of the vendors, the prep work paid off and the retailer was ready to take on the bustling holiday season. 

While the company had a great holiday season, many customers started coming forward with claims against the company for fraud. Once the company reviewed their databases, they were able to identify that there was in fact a breach to their company’s system that affected millions of their customers. Without missing a beat, the company hired a digital forensic company to identify how and where their current security systems went wrong. 

Upon further investigation, the digital forensic company determined that the fraudulent activity was due to malware that was installed onto the payment terminals of each register. The hacker was able to access this system by using credentials stolen from one of the company’s 3rd party vendors. After the digital forensic company concluded their investigation, they took all the evidence and sent it to the company’s lawyer. 

The company had to pay for the damages incurred by the hack, but with the help of digital forensics, the company was later able to take the foreign hacker to court to cover the financial losses. Now, the company has much better security practices in place not only for themselves but for their vendors as well while they attempt to rebuild the trust of their customers again. Without digital forensics, the company could be stuck with the costs of the breach with no clear indication of what caused it, leaving the door open to more attacks and increased difficulty regaining customer trust. 

DEFENSE: 

Everyone knows what hacking is, but many are not prepared when it happens to them. In fact, 60% of senior decision-makers in companies are not taking cybersecurity as seriously as they should. Data is extremely valuable, so the safety of that data can be the life or death of a company or organization if not taken seriously. Let's look at a theoretical case where a political activist got hacked and almost took the blame. 

Jane Doe was a human rights politician in a foreign country trying to improve the lives of those who reside in that country. Working towards these rights for years, Jane knew that there were people that would go to great lengths to stop her but never felt she was unsafe in any of her activities. As Jane Doe was getting ready to head out to another human rights demonstration, she was met by authorities accusing her of trying to overthrow the government. 

 She was quickly arrested, and her phone and laptop were seized for further investigation into the claims. After the authorities had gone through her electronic devices, they found more convincing evidence to support their claims that she was plotting to overthrow their government and placed her under arrest. Not knowing what the authorities were speaking of or how those documents were placed on her devices, she quickly contacted her attorney, demanding further investigation into the matter. 

Ms. Doe’s attorney contacted a digital forensic company to determine where the incriminating files truly came from. After the digital forensic company completed their investigation, it was determined that Jane Doe’s phone and laptop had been hacked over the course of four years, around the time when she first started her human rights work in their country. The hackers mainly used their time for surveillance, but over the last two years, the hackers strategically planted the fabricated evidence that was later used to arrest Jane Doe. 

After the digital forensic company made this discovery, they took all the necessary evidence and sent it over to Jane Doe’s attorney to be used in court. Although she never intended on needing to use her human rights platform to protect herself, she is thankful that resources are available so that she can continue her work that is so desperately needed. Thanks to digital forensics, Jane Doe was able to prove her innocence and regain her freedom.