Russian online-dating service, Topface has admitted to paying a hacker an undisclosed sum, preventing the person from selling or leaking 20 million user addresses. Having been shown how easy it is to infiltrate their networks and steal customer data, firms like Topface must now take the right steps in order to prevent being placed in such a compromising position in the future.
Jeremiah, CEO at WhiteHat Security said: "Vulnerabilities in websites are incredibly common, even amongst the largest brands and cyber-attacks like these have become every day occurrence. Many business are still unaware of online business risks, or have delayed taking appropriate action, which is unfortunate for them and their uses.
“It's vital that businesses understand their own true security posture better than the cyber-criminals. The best way to do that is using a concept called "Hack Yourself First", where experts are deployed to constantly check for and report website vulnerabilities proactively before disaster strikes.”