One more information security breach€¦Another big enterprise being hit by hackers€¦
It is Adobe this time!

Hackers seem to be growing in power day by day. Be it a small company or a multi-billion enterprise, hackers are sparing none.

All Adobe customers almost got a panic attack when Adobe disclosed the news of discovering a hacker attack on their network, which allowed hackers the illegal access to customer information and source code for multiple Adobe products.

According to Adobe, hackers broke through the security layer through encrypted passwords and customer IDs that they use to log onto their respective accounts. The information security breach compromised the personal information of 3.8 million active Adobe users (as per the official blog post) comprising their names, encrypted credit or debit card numbers, expiration dates, along with other related information pertaining to customer orders.

Though simple and easily guessable passwords - €123456', €123456789', €12345678', €password', and €qwerty' - have been identified as the major reason responsible for the breach, fingers have been raised towards the insufficient measures employed by the company itself to ensure the security of the customers' accounts.

If you belong to the group of individuals who believe they will never fall prey to hacking attack, the Adobe hacking incident is an eye-opener for you. When it comes to identity theft prevention is the only cure. Here are some of the preventive measures that may help you avoid hacking attacks and identity theft:

Two Factor Authentication (2 FA)

In Adobe's case, hackers accessed the user accounts through encrypted passwords which were simple and easy to guess. This situation could have been avoided by two factor authentication.

2FA identifies the user on the basis of:

€ Something he knows (unique PIN, one time password)
€ Something he possesses (USB device, hardware etc)

It may be possible for a hacker to crack your password (first line of defense) but it would be difficult for anybody to supply the second code or password that you receive on a device that only you possess. It is because of the effectiveness of 2 factor authentication that even the popular organizations including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and renowned banks and financial institutions are relying on two-factor authentication for the security of their customers' accounts.

When it comes to 2 factor authentication it is very important to choose a reliable service provider. Innefu Labs, RSA, VASCO, and Quest are some of the renowned information security consultants in India.

Choose strong passwords

It is something that almost every web user knows and a few practices. Choose the passwords that are difficult to guess. Use of combination alphabets, numerical and special characters (!@#$%^&*). And needless to say don't share your passwords with anybody.

Don't open spam mails

Don't open or reply to mails in your spam or junk folder that boasts of some prize or attractive job you have selected for. Hackers sent viruses or botnets to your computer or other internet-compatible device through these mails and steal your personal information.

The Adobe hacking incident is a wake-up call for all those who still don't feel the essence of information security. Make sure you are prepared and protected against the hackers who look for new ways everyday to invade your privacy.