How secure is our digital data? Be sure to heed World Backup Day warnings

VBT Yazılım Frontend and Web Manager Soner Acar stated that the rapid increase in artificial intelligence usage is escalating personal data risks, warning specifically about information shared inadvertently in mobile applications and chat-based tools. Sharing strategic recommendations for data protection on the occasion of World Backup Day, Acar emphasized that proper backup habits are of vital importance in our digitizing world.

DATA STORAGE HABITS IN TURKEY: DIGITAL COMES FIRST

Current data shared by Kaspersky shows that 88% of users in Turkey store sensitive information such as identity, financial, and health records in electronic environments. Evaluating the research results, Soner Acar highlighted the following details:

Generational Gap: While Gen Z and Millennials keep their data almost entirely digital, one-third of users over the age of 55 still use traditional paper methods.

Storage Preferences: 58% of participants prefer computers or hard drives, 39% prefer cloud solutions, and 28% prefer public digital services.

''THE 3-2-1 STRATEGY SAVES LIVES''

Stating that concrete steps must be taken to maximize the security of digital data, Acar highlighted the 3-2-1 backup strategy for professional data management:

Three Copies: At least three different copies of important data should be created.

Two Different Media: Data should be kept on two different storage units (e.g., external disk and cloud).

One Off-site Location: At least one copy should be stored in a physically different location or on a secure cloud service.

PASSWORD SECURITY AND AUTOMATION ARE CRITICAL

Reminding that the weakest link in data security is still "simple passwords," Soner Acar noted that 30% of users make themselves vulnerable to brute force attacks by using easily remembered passwords.

"Relying solely on a password is not enough. We must incorporate two-factor authentication (2FA) or passkey technologies into our workflows," said Acar, recommending the active use of automatic backup services (iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive) to ensure backup processes are not forgotten, and that these backups be tested at regular intervals.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CRITICAL DATA CLASSIFICATION

Acar stated that not every piece of data has the same priority and that files should be classified as "critical," "important," and "low priority." Touching upon the fact that data shared with artificial intelligence tools can create irreversible risks, Acar concluded his remarks by stating that the use of encrypted "digital vault" solutions for sensitive documents is not a preference, but a necessity.