Every day, more people get online - most do it for leisure, but organizations are increasingly moving into the digital environment. The increasing number of these new end-point users makes it clear that the cyber world must evolve. No longer can experts argue for unique platform passwords when password fatigue is prominent, nor can cybersecurity defenders protect all the various attack junctures across multiple platforms and tools.

What is there to know about a person? Certainly, their name, but how about their affiliations, philosophical beliefs, or sexual orientation? The nuanced information about a person—including those elements listed above and more—falls into a data category called “personal information” or “personally identifying information” (PII).

Suppose someone left their home, got in their car, and drove to the grocery store. Much like data packets that travel over Internet highways, the car will use various pathways to reach its destination; however, once the car gets to the store, a question remains: what happened between the generating point and the destination? If nothing happened, the driver (our data) traveled safely and without incident.

Ever follow an ad featuring limited-time products to a company’s web page only to find they’re selling something else entirely? Or have you added a product to a cart only to discover a laundry list of issues, from poor quality to endless fees? Bait and switch (also called “bait-and-switch” or “B&S”) is a classification of fraudulent activities that most recognize as false advertising.

In 2023, based on wire fraud statistics nearly a quarter of consumers received suspicious communications, which may have occurred over text, email, phone, or social media. Of those who interacted with the sender, one in twenty consumers fell victim to wire fraud, which begins over electronic channels. That same year, consumers lost a reported $10 billion to fraudulent activities, a significant portion of which began as wire fraud.

When we think of “property,” the first thing that comes to our mind might be tangible objects—items we’ve purchased, like cars and homes, or entitlements we’ve procured, like land, titles, or even honorifics. However, there is another type of property that includes intangible ownership, creations of the mind, and various assets of a nonphysical nature.

Everyone has received a spam text or email at some point. Their hallmarks are widely known; they often include poor or strange grammar, suspicious links, suggested connections with companies or people, or random individuals asking for help in some capacity. Sometimes, these communications allow scammers and malicious actors to learn about their targets. These targets may be individuals, companies, vendors, software hosts, or any other entity with data worth a cent.