Breach puts thousands at risk for identity theft

As the world continues to move torridly toward an entirely electronic marketplace, businesses need to ensure they are protecting the identities of staff members and clients. Many cases have occurred in recent months that show how common hackers have become, even for small businesses with low visibility. The State recently reported that the University of South Carolina has been the victim of several hacks in recent months, putting staff members at risk of identity theft. According to the source, the most recent breach put the identities of 34,000 staff members, students and other individuals within the USC community at risk. An even bigger mistake on behalf of USC officials, the news provider noted, was the fact that the school did not notify any of the people affected until 11 weeks after discovering the breach. This allowed the hacker ample time to take advantage of the hidden theft and cash in on victims' identities. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, businesses in the United States have experienced more than 100 breaches, resulting in close to 3.5 million exposed records. This further illustrates the importance of protecting employees' identities from malicious forces.