“The Dr. Phil Show” dedicated an episode March 20 to the story of a couple who said hackers had been attacking them for five years, hacking into multiple devices in an attempt to ruin their marriage and their lives. DFC experts investigated several devices for the episode.

You may not know this, but your cellphone is a little spy.

As you go through your day, your smartphone collects evidence that can be used to recreate your activity. If you take a photo or video, the phone records when and where. All your calls and text messages are logged. Surfing the internet on your phone? Your searches and visited websites are recorded (That’s true even if you are browsing incognito.) GPS data and WiFi connections can pinpoint the places you go.

One of the fastest growing wrinkles in online crime is called “sextortion.” People are lured into sharing extremely personal photos or videos in an online conversation they think will remain private – only to find out they must pay blackmail money to keep those compromising images from being shared with a spouse or a boss. Those pictures might even end up on a website or all over social media if the blackmail isn’t paid.

Sextortion has been around for a while, but it has grown in frequency in recent years as people spend more and more time online.

No matter how well you train your people, and no matter how carefully you safeguard sensitive data and information, a data breach can happen.

If you already have a solid Incident Response Plan (IRP) in place, there is no need to panic. It will tell you what to do to get things under control again. If you do not already have such a plan, form one now. Contact experienced, certified professionals immediately and let them guide you through the proper steps.

If you have a plan in place, you know that step one is to notify your company’s operations professionals and business stakeholders immediately when a breach occurs. The next step is to follow your company’s IRP. The [...]