Dealing with digital technology is mediocre at best for most of us. A day sitting in front of our desks fidgeting on our keyboards and keying data is no fun daily. The digitized workplace is not easy to deal with without adding the burden of constantly evolving security risks and threats.  

There are several ways to get around it, using unique passwords, implementing fail-safe measures, and using up-to-date cyber security implements. Most importantly, taking sensitive data of 465,177 citizens of an entire Japanese city with you on a hard night’s drink.  

Mixing cybersecurity threats and alcohol is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. This scenario happened to a 40-year-old Japanese man who accidentally lost a USB flash drive. This contained hundreds of thousands of citizens’ names, birthdays, addresses, tax information, and sensitive banking details in Amagasaki, Japan.  

What happened?

As reported by local media and NHK, the man tasked with handling the benefits to tax-exempt households of the area, transferred the files from his company’s central server. He has access but not authorized to carry out such action. Additionally, he decided to take it with him for a drink and woke up in the streets with the bag containing the USB stick gone.  

The city faces looming cybersecurity risks, with many at-risk and exposed to digital attacks. Their information is out in the open, just a leak away from happening. Although the data is said to be encrypted, they sure do not want to leave this one out in the open.  

Let this be a lesson for you to take your business’s cyber security more seriously, implement up-to-date data storage solutions, and not rely on plain old USB flash drives to avoid the chances of your customers’ information leaking out on the internet. Getting in touch with Red IT Solutions ain’t bad. Also, never drink when you drive (see what I did there?). He must be too fun at parties.