It’s a reasonable question: Am I a target? Is anyone out there actively trying to steal my information? Are you in an industry that is frequently targeted by hackers, and are you visible enough within that industry to be a target?
If you’re running a successful business, then you probably do have enough cash flow that a hacker who’s in it to make a quick buck wouldn’t hesitate at the opportunity to steal something from you. However, the vast majority of cyber criminals are looking for crimes of opportunity. Forgetting your credit card at a restaurant, browsing private emails in a public place, or just having poor security on your office network are what make you a target more than any business decisions you might be making or fame you might achieve.
The people who hackers go out of their way to target are typically involved in some sort of politically volatile situation. People running for office may be targeted by opponents and critics who would love to embarrass them with a leaked email, and the same goes for any highly visible industry figure who’s having a bad PR day after perhaps making an off-color joke at a public event.
As for the rest of us, we’re all targets, not because anyone is actively pursuing us, but because when it comes to stealing sensitive data, beggars can’t be choosers. The tenth biggest desk-fan manufacturer in the country is exactly as big a target as the eleventh, twentieth and fiftieth biggest manufacturer.
What really gets a hacker’s attention is a security lapse. If you’re using your laptop at a coffee shop and you leave it open on the table while you go to the restroom, a thief isn’t going to browse your files and find out if you’re anyone important, they’re just going to steal the laptop and do whatever they can with the information they find.
To put it another way: The biggest targets are professionals, companies, and office networks with poor security. We invest in security and insurance not because there’s an army of hackers targeting us, but because the only real targets are those without security and insurance.
