US electorial data leak - Mimecast comment
June 2017 by Mimecast
A marketing company working for the Republican National Committee has accidentally exposed the sensitive personal details of almost 62 percent of the US population – reportedly the largest breach of electoral data in the US ever. https://www.upguard.com/breaches/the-rnc-files
Please find comment below from security expert Steve Malone, Director of Security Product Management, Mimecast:
“While this data leak is bad, what is worse is the potential of this data falling into the wrong hands.
“Microtargeting is a common tactic used by political parties to define possible voters and create more effective messages. This is an incredibly powerful tool when in the hands of a cybercriminal, who can use this data to implement very targeted spear-phishing and social engineering attacks. Businesses have never been so vulnerable.
“Layered security which includes dedicated protection from impersonation attacks is vital to ensure businesses remain cyber resilient, along with other proactive measures such as employee awareness and secured email systems.”