Cloud-based servers should be regularly checked for who has read and write permissions and be modified accordingly, as appropriate. For a bad actor to access or exfiltrate data they need credentials or to take advantage of an ‘open door’ which has been left unlocked. BinaryEdge, Shodan and many other tools make it easy to find these open containers. This sort of activity can be thwarted just by regularly checking those correct permissions are in place. However, for those instances when the security has been bypassed there are mitigating steps organisations can take to monitor for data that’s being breached, discussed, shared or sold: by proactively monitoring for leaks or misuse of the data stored in publicly accessible databases or, in MGM's case, the dark web. This incident also highlights the importance of speed when mitigating digital risk; watermarking data with unique synthetic identities can enable organisations to detect these threats immediately and be the first to find out if their data is available online, before someone else does. Setting up email listeners for these watermark identities can detect a breach before the data is shared online, if the hacker is testing for valid addresses.  Read Less