News of a recent string of data breaches has garnered international headlines over the last few months. And the large number of people affected has only reaffirmed information security is a top-of-mind issue for consumers, businesses and now Congress.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce called on Trustwave Senior Vice President of Government Solutions Phillip. J. Smith to offer testimony related to data breaches and malware as part of a Congressional hearing titled, "Protecting Consumer Information: Can Data Breaches Be Prevented?" In his prepared testimony, Smith presented observations and recommendations based on the company's experience investigating thousands of data breaches over the past few years, augmented by its ongoing security research and the threat intelligence gleaned from Trustwave's large, global client footprint.
Smith provided details about how criminals launch attacks that cause data breaches and who they typically target, as well as how businesses can better prepare for, protect against and respond to breaches. He also spoke about:
- Macro-level trends in data security
- Results from the 2013 Trustwave Global Security Report
- How cardholder data is being stolen through malware
- The value of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
- Why and how businesses must go beyond PCI DSS compliance for increased security.
Read the written testimony on the Committee's website
