In the wake of the press reports concerning the recent data breaches at Sony and Epsilon, some organizations are getting the wrong idea about modern online attacks. The media largely chooses to cover mass-scale losses that affect large numbers of consumers from trusted brands.

While it is important to raise awareness about keeping your data safe online and alerting average internet users that they may be victims of data theft, most users are exposed to risk far more frequently and without their knowledge.

In a story published Tuesday on the Bank Information Security blog, Tracy Kitten detailed the exploits of Rogelio Hackett, Jr., who stole more than 675,000 credit cards. The resulting damages exceeded $36 million.

Hackett’s strategy? Find smaller organizations who have not coded their websites properly, allowing access to their data via SQL injection vulnerabilities. Based upon the reports I see from customers and other researchers, there are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of Hacketts out there systematically looking for low-hanging fruit.

Hackett may be sentenced to 12 years in prison for his crimes, but for every attacker who is caught, another one is ready to fill his shoes.

The FBI issued an security hubs.

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