Supermarket sweep

Article: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8VG4BGG0.htm

When you use a credit card while you're shopping, you like to think that your card information is safe. But a recent supermarket data breach proves that this is not always the case. Hannaford Supermarkets has suffered one of the largest security breaches on record. Between Dec. 7 and March 10, 4.2 million credit and debit card numbers were exposed and at least 1,800 were stolen. The company still doesn't know how it happened; last February, their transaction system was found to meet the latest standards for data security. Little did they know that while their system was being verified to have the latest security, it was being hacked at the same time.

This is certainly not the first time this kind of thing has happened. TJ Maxx and Marshalls, run under the TJX Co., suffered an even larger data breach of tens of millions of credit cards. It just goes to show you how difficult it is to protect data. No matter what measures you use, a database is never 100% safe. There will always be someone clever enough to infiltrate it. It seems to me that when you're a professional dealing with data security, being well-informed is probably your best bet for preventing security breaches. 1) Keep your system up-to-date with security. Install any needed software, patches, etc. to protect your data. 2) Keep yourself informed with trends in the IT security world. Read up on problems other companies/people have had, so that you know what to look for and what to arm yourself against. 3) Education. Keep current with things you need to know to do your job well. Whether that be by taking classes or self-teaching.

And if you're on the other end of the database, that is, you are the client, you need to stay informed as well. Always check your credit card statements, get regular credit reports, maybe invest in a service like LifeLock. In today's world where none of your personal data is 100% safe, being ignorant of how your data is used is probably the most dangerous thing of all.