IT Security Stories to Watch: Gmail and Home Depot Data Breaches

Is my Gmail account secure? That’s the question many Gmail users asked over the past week after Google‘s (GOOG’s) email service was hacked.

Data for 4.93 million Google accounts was leaked and published on a Russian-language Bitcoin security online forum, according to TIME.

This cyber attack, meanwhile, raised questions about Gmail’s security and how users can protect their accounts against hackers.

“The security of our users’ information is a top priority for us,” a Google spokesperson said. “We take steps to help those users secure their accounts.”

How did the Gmail data breach happen? And what can managed service providers (MSPs) and their customers learn from it? Find out in this week’s IT security stories to watch:

1. Google suffers a data breach

Google said last week that less than 2 percent of its Gmail user accounts were hacked. The company also noted it has protected the affected accounts and required those users to reset their passwords.

Gmail users can deploy various IT security strategies to safeguard their sensitive data as well.

“Make sure you’re using a strong password unique to Google. Update your recovery options so we can reach you by phone or email if you get locked out of your account. And consider two-step verification, which adds an extra layer of security to your account,” Google wrote in its Online Security Blog last week.

2. Is the Home Depot data breach getting worse?

Several IT security analysts have indicated The Home Depot (HD) data breach could rival last year’s Target (TGT) cyber attack.

The Target data breach may have affected 70 million customers, and Reuters reports Home Depot stores in least five states are investigating a cyber attack that was discovered earlier this month.

Home Depot said the breach could have affected any customer who had used a payment card at one of its U.S. stores since April.

The home improvement retailer also has hired security experts to determine the scope of the attack but declined to say how many payment cards may have been compromised.

3. Gartner: Majority of mobile apps are not secure

How can you protect your mobile applications against malware, viruses and other IT security threats? Technology research firm Gartner said protecting mobile apps could be a growing problem and is predicting more than 75 percent of mobile apps will fail basic security tests through next year.

Gartner researchers noted employees typically download applications to help them perform business functions, but these apps rarely are secure.

The technology research firm added these applications often are exposed to attacks and violations of enterprise security policies.

“Enterprises that embrace mobile computing and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategies are vulnerable to security breaches unless they adopt methods and technologies for mobile application security testing and risk assurance,” Gartner Principal Research Analyst Dionisio Zumerle said in a prepared statement. “Most enterprises are inexperienced in mobile application security. Even when application security testing is undertaken, it is often done casually by developers who are mostly concerned with the functionality of applications, not their security.”

4. JPMorgan Chase is still evaluating data breach

Hackers victimized JPMorgan Chase this summer, and the bank continues to evalute the incident and its impact.

The cyber attack reportedly began in June but was not detected until the end of July.

JPMorgan Chase spokesperson Kristin Lemkau told The New York Times last week she believes her company has closed any IT security gaps since that time.

“We uncovered an attack by an outside adversary recently where the firm’s technology environment was compromised,” she said. “We are confident we have closed any known access points and prevented any future access in the same way.”

What do you think will be the biggest IT security stories for MSPs this week? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below, via Twitter @dkobialka or email me at [email protected].