Krebs’s Immutable Truths About Data Breaches — Krebs on Security

I’ve had several requests for a fresh blog post to excerpt something that got crammed into the corner of a lengthy story published here Sunday: A list of immutable truths about data breaches, cybersecurity and the consequences of inaction.

“There are some fairly simple, immutable truths that each of us should keep in mind, truths that apply equally to political parties, organizations and corporations alike: -If you connect it to the Internet, someone will try to hack it. -If what you put on the Internet has value, someone will invest time and effort to steal it. -Even if what is stolen does not have immediate value to the thief, he can easily find buyers for it. -The price he secures for it will almost certainly be a tiny slice of its true worth to the victim. -Organizations and individuals unwilling to spend a small fraction of what those assets are worth to secure them against cybercrooks can expect to eventually be relieved of said assets.”

They may not be complete, but as a set of truisms these tenets probably will age pretty well. After all, taken as a whole they are practically a model Cybercriminal Code of Ethics, or a cybercrook’s social contract.