The largest hacking attempt ever has been announced. JPMorgan Chase Bank announced on Oct 2 that 76 million personal accounts and 7 million business accounts were compromised in a recent cyber attack.

Did we say this is the largest hacking attack ever in the business world? 83 million people – that’s more than double the entire population of Canada. Let that sink in for a moment.

According to JPMorgan Chase Bank, the hack occurred during the early summer. However, they have stated that they have observed no unusual customer fraud from this incident.

So who’s actually impacted by this security breach? Any customer who conducted business on chase.com or through the company’s mobile application. Customer names, addresses, phone numbers, and email address were taken, but JPMorgan Chase added that “There is no evidence that account information for such affected customers – account numbers, passwords, user IDs, birthdates or Social Security numbers were compromised during this attack.”

83 million people are affected by this hacking attempt. What can you do now?

1. Change your PIN and passwords immediately. Don’t forget to change your security questions at this time as well, since your answers could have been leaked too.
2. Closely watch your accounts, scrutinize every transaction, and report any abnormal activity. If you can, set up text messaging to send a text message when you have account activity.
3. Do not respond to any emails from what appears to be chase.com. Chances are that hackers will use this news to phish for more information. Simply delete any message from chase.com or any look-a-likes. If the bank really does need to contact you, they won’t do it through email.

According to online reports, this attack on JPMorgan Chase was very well orchestrated. Approximately 90 servers deep inside the company were hacked. It just goes to show how determined cybercriminals can be to take advantage of even the smallest vulnerability to go after a target.

What can your business do right now?

We recommend having the team of technology experts at Vertical IT conduct a full security review of your business. We will make sure:

• Your systems are patched and proper security software is installed.
• Your firewall is up-to-date with all required updates.
• Malware and antivirus software is up-to-date.
• Your staff know how to spot phishing attempts or attachments that may contain viruses or malware.
• Your network and wireless networks are secure.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Technology security is a constantly moving target; this is why your business needs to hire our team of managed IT services experts who will stay on top of all your computer and network security and ensure you’re always ahead of the curve as technologies evolve and cybercriminals change tactics.

Don’t put your business at risk: take the first steps to protect your livelihood and the livelihood of all your staff. Call (888) 505-8215 or email us at info@verticalitcorp.com to book your complimentary technology security consultation.