Data Theft: How Do You Know What's Missing?

Every day seems to bring another news story about lost or stolen personal information or other data. But information is not like other business assets: it can be stolen without your knowing it. It's important to plan not only how to protect your data, but how to know if it's been breached.In an interview excerpt on CNet, Dan Geer, the chief technology officer of data protection and management firm Verdasys, explains that if someone steals your car, you'll notice, because you don't have it any more. But in the world of data, a thief can have it while you still have it too--how would you know? Geer discusses ways that Verdasys customers have discovered that data had been compromised by discovering that it was being misused. One way of finding out about misuse that any business could use is to include fabricated identities in the database of real customer information, and then track whether those identities show up elsewhere.

Small businesses bear the same burden of protecting their customers privacy as large companies do and can't afford to overlook security measures. More of Geer's thoughts on data protection are available in a CNet podcast.CNet News