This incident underscores the cascading consequences of a data breach. For the New Albany Airport Authority, they will bear the financial cost of recovery while their MSP will lose an important contract since they failed to protect their customers’ IT. From both directions, it’s clear that data security failure is a deal breaker in today’s digital environment

Phishing scams are the leading cause of data breaches, but they are also entirely avoidable. With the cost associated with a compromise continually escalating, training employees to identify and avoid phishing scams is a relatively low-cost initiative that can transform employees into a robust defense rather than an imminent vulnerability.

Today’s consumers are beginning to make buying decisions based on a brand’s data security reputation. Especially in a sensitive sector like smart home technology, a strong cybersecurity posture is a prerequisite for long-term success. Unforced errors, such as leaving a database exposed, become especially egregious. Of course, mistakes do happen, and businesses need a response plan to contain the event and to identify the scope of the problem as quickly as possible.

Reactive cybersecurity measures can’t undo the damage of a data breach. With the holistic cost associated with exposure at an all-time high, companies have millions of reasons to embrace a robust defensive posture against cybercrime. Often, this means starting by securing accounts using best practices, like two-factor authentication, to keep intruders out.

This incident is an especially prescient warning for SMBs who often have less cash on hand that rely on critical IT systems to manage their operations. As security experts noted, the company’s ultimate failure wasn’t financial solvency but an inability to adopt cybersecurity standards that could have prevented a ransomware attack from crippling their operations.