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There is an idiom that reads: to step into the breach.

Its meaning is pretty simple. To step into the breach means to do someone’s work when they are unable to do it.

What to do about Equifax.

It’s been in the news for a couple of weeks, and rather than react immediately, we at Carolinas NetCare decided to see how it unfolded. It has not unfolded well.

First, this is a consumer problem by and large. While it doesn’t effect companies per se, it affects many if not all employees of your company. The best estimate is 143 million records were compromised with key, personal data like Social Security numbers, dates of birth and more being exposed. Some records even included driver’s license numbers and other financial documents.

If that news wasn’t bad enough, it came to light that three Equifax executives sold stock prior to the public announcement, which happened more than a month after the breach was discovered. Regardless of whether this was a nefarious act, its appearance did not help the suddenly crumbling image of the company.

But the bad news wasn’t over. In Equifax’s attempt to calm the concerns of the public it established a mechanism whereby consumers could check to see if their information was part of that compromised. News broke this week that those sites could have been hacked as well, exposing a kind of verification of the information already compromised.

Is there any good news?

As a matter of fact, as a NetCare® customer, there is. The source of the problem has been identified as an unapplied patch. A patch is simply a piece of computer code created to deter or avoid a known virus, malware or other cyberattack. Sadly, a patch is worthless unless it is applied. By all indications, it appears Equifax knew of the possibility of a breach but did not apply the patch.

We apply all the necessary patches! It’s what you pay us to do, and it’s something we do very well. Netcare® Operate ensures that your system is always up-to-date with the most current patches and, by all possible measures, safeguarded against what happened to Equifax.

So, while we don’t step into the breach in the traditional sense, in a way we do. We do the necessary work we know how to do and you contract us to do.

As always, thank you for relying on Carolinas NetCare for your IT systems needs. If there is ever a question or concern, please reach out to us at support@carolinasnetcare.com.