This article originally appeared in Information Security Buzz on September 9, 2019.

Millions of Phone numbers associated with names and other personal information has been exposed on the Internet in recent days from both the breach at Monsters.com and from an exposed Facebook database. These incidents and others like it expose consumers to not only identity theft but other hazards as well.

EXPERTS COMMENTS

Chris Olson, CEO ,  The Media Trust

September 09, 2019

Businesses in general must do a better job of ensuring their digital assets aren’t being used to spy on or steal from consumers.

About one-fourth of stalking victims report being spied on through technology–which includes social media platforms and a growing range of stalker apps, to name a few. Businesses in general must do a better job of ensuring their digital assets aren’t being used to spy on or steal from consumers. These assets are magnets for bad actors who want to scale their access to consumers’ and businesses’ sensitive information. Without the proper protections, these assets have been and will continue to be weaponized.