IDX’s CEO and President Tom Kelly Discusses the Biggest Cybersecurity Issues of The Year and What People Can Do to Protect Themselves In 2022

As featured on the Price of Business Show with Kevin Price

In a recent interview with Price of Business Show’s Kevin Price, the president and CEO of IDX, Tom Kelly, gave an end-of-year assessment of the biggest cybersecurity issues facing America and what people can do to protect themselves going into 2022.

In 2021, the upward trend in data breaches and other cybersecurity threats created a precarious situation for individuals, businesses and government entities. Some of the largest data breaches this year affected enterprises and platforms such as Android, Facebook and LinkedIn, compromising the privacy and security of tens of millions of people.

Tom provides a panoramic view of the radical increase in digital threats targeting individuals and business enterprises. He notes that our growing dependency on the digital world, which became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, has created more openings that can be exploited by nefarious actors. "For businesses,” Tom notes, “it means an increased number of digital access points into your enterprise where people can bring in malware, bring in ransomware, invade and go after your data, go after your intellectual property and your consumer information.”

But businesses aren’t the only target of cyber threats. Tom points out that phishing attacks have become a larger concern over the past year, and individuals are particularly at risk of being targeted by such attacks. Gone are the days when scammers posing as financial institutions or wealthy individuals would send emails that could be easily identified as a scam. These days, Tom notes, phishing is far more sophisticated because it uses new points of entry like text messages and digital tools like data gathering.

Heading into 2022 businesses and individuals can start protecting themselves right away. Tom points out that new security tools are already gaining popularity in the business world; companies that make the best of data encryption, anti-malware software and systems with multi-factor authentication will have a better chance of mitigating and averting cyber threats.

Individuals can also take several steps to protect their data privacy and security. Tom compares such measures to proper hygiene during COVID-19. Just as we all took steps to protect our health, like frequently washing our hands, individuals can practice certain behaviors to protect their digital health. “Today, hygiene means good password protection; it means quit messing around on public networks,” Tom notes.

As we approach the new year, we all must remember to remain vigilant against a more competent and dangerous network of cyber threats. If you don’t protect yourself, you could be the next victim of a scam or hack. But the tools you need to protect your business or personal information are available to you. Visit www.idx.us to see how IDX privacy protection software can help you.