The True Face of Espionage

Most of us are familiar with the classic spy stories of intrigue, deception and espionage. Whether it was from watching a James Bond movie or reading a Tom Clancy novel, we’ve been introduced to a world of high-risk infiltration missions and crazy gadgets portrayed in these tales. These stories are exciting and for the longest time, have painted us a picture of what the world of gathering intelligence looks like. However, in reality, this is far from how the true espionage we deal with is conducted.

In February of 2015, health insurance provider Anthem Inc. database was hacked, which includes social security and credit card numbers, health information, patient history, and other valuable client information. According to The Wall Street Journal, this database was made up of over 70 million former and current customers, and employees. As of recent, it is believed that the same group of hackers responsible for the Anthem hack is also responsible for a similar data breach to United Airlines. According to Bloomberg Business, this breach provided the hackers with flight manifest data, including passenger information like destination and place of departure, as well as corporate information and business strategy.

Although these stories lack the glamour and creativity of the spy stories that we are so used to, this is how espionage is conducted in today’s world, and it has clearly been extremely effective regardless. While possibly being thousands of miles away, one can collect all the information they would ever need about a person by receiving access to sensitive information through a data breach. This data can be compiled together to create a massive intelligence network without the hacker ever even leaving his home. With a spy’s work becoming much easier, more effective and simpler, security has never been so necessary to defend against an unseen enemy.

Don’t Become The Next Data Casualty
Fortunately, Aegify’s mission is to protect your organization’s data. Aegify provides a single software solution to address your security, risk and compliance concerns. To learn more, please click HERE and register for our LIVE webinar led by Aegify CEO Anupam Sahai on Thursday August 13, from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT.

When you next encounter a movie about a top secret mission to recover vital information about a corrupt government, consider instead picturing the story’s hero as an average worker, sitting at their desk on a computer while eating a donut.