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Cyber threats: are they being taken seriously?

Cybercrime is no longer a high-tech fantasy phenomenon exclusive to science-fiction movies; it’s real and it needs to be dealt with!

Cyber-attacks can cause an incredible amount of damage that extends far and wide with no tangible end. Unlike a broken window that can be fixed, or stolen money that can be recovered in one way or another, stolen data from a malicious hacking can cause an insurmountable list of problems. Since it’s not tangible, the information can be copied and spread around the world at a click of a button.
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How much does a data breach cost?

Data breaches are not a new phenomenon; they’ve been around for a long time. That being said, they’re certainly on the rise at the moment, and the costs for companies dealing with the fallout of a data breach continue to grow.

Technology and the use of the internet has vastly grown in recent times, yet companies continually lack decent security while making more and more use of digital technology. It’s a backwards concept when you think about it. You’d want to install a quality house alarm if you started collecting rare and expensive memorabilia, as an example.

So, how much does a data breach cost?
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J.P. Morgan Chase Bank face class action for recording calls without consumer consent

Reuters report that the J.P. Morgan (one of the largest financial corporations in the world) are facing a class action (otherwise known as a group action here) in the U.S. which is being brought by multiple aggrieved consumers and to be heard in the Californian federal court.

The case is in relation to J.P. Morgan allegedly recording calls without consent, which is reportedly a violation of state laws. The lawsuit, which reportedly only covers outbound calls, was filed on the 3^rd of July in the ‘golden state’ with allegations that J.P. Morgan’s practice of recording calls without permission has been a problem for a long time.
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56% of healthcare organisations plan on investing in data breach protection

A new survey reveals that many healthcare providers plan to invest in data breach protection. A recent study named IT Risks in Healthcare Infographics 2017 gathered information based on feedback provided by IT specialists working in healthcare organisations worldwide.

Off the back of breaches that have plagued the healthcare industry for years, many organisations may now be finally planning to invest more in data protection and cybersecurity.

It’s about time…
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MyHome Installations fined £50,000 for nuisance marketing calls

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has recently issued a monetary fine of £50,000 to a Maidstone firm for nuisance calls.

Nuisance marketing calls are split into 2 types: live marketing calls and automated marketing calls. They’re regulated by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003.

Live marketing calls shouldn’t be made to anyone who has registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The TPS is a service which allows individuals to block numbers from calling them. When organisations break the rules, they may incur hefty fines from the ICO.
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Boomerang Video Ltd fined £60,000 by the ICO for compromising user data over a cyberattack

Boomerang Video Ltd owns and controls an online website where customers can rent or buy video games through their payment web application. Users log in and have a choice of video games for various consoles that are physically sent to them and then returned to their warehouse after the customer has finished playing the game.

The online platform requires certain information for a customer to sign up to their services, including a username, password and bank details to pay the monthly subscription fee.

Unfortunately, their app was targeted in a cyberattack and was successfully hacked in December of 2014.
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PwC research shows that data breaches in 2016 doubled from previous year

Companies and organisations have a responsibility to keep data safe and secure in accordance with the Data Protection Act (DPA). Should they fail to do so, the U.K.’s privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), can impose penalties accordingly.

Breaches are growing. We cover this concept a lot, because there appears to be no stopping the growth of leaks, hacks, and breaches. New research has shown data breaches have doubled on the previous year. It just seems to be getting worse and worse…
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Indian telecom operator warns businesses of the “real threat” of data breaches.

New Delhi based telecom operator Bharti Airtel has spoken out about the “real threat” data breaches cause to businesses and organisations.

The company say it prides itself in taking cyber security and customer privacy “very seriously”, India’s economic times reports. Airtel’s comments were prompted by a recent data breach that reportedly exposed an internet and telecom provider’s customer database, which may have been accessed by an unauthorised third party who uploaded the stolen information on an independent website called Magicapk.

This is relevant for us to keep an eye on here in the U.K. Data breaches abroad can affect us here too, and we know a lot of organisations outsource to countries like India. These worries should be at the forefront of all our minds.
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A-list celebrities dining preferences leaked

A mystery restaurant in the U.S. has recently leaked some of their guests’ notes and dining preferences.

Many restaurants use a digital POS system to make efficient table reservations and importantly to make notes about their guests. The restaurant in question is one where many A-list celebrities reportedly dine at, and you’d have thought that information about them would be kept secure given the nature of their clientele.

Apparently, this was not the case. Hannah Goldfield, an author for The New Yorker, was reportedly sent a spreadsheet from the restaurant in error containing around 30,000 entries about guests.
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Concept Car Credit Limited issued with an enforcement notice by the ICO for spam texts

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued Concept Car Credit Limited with an enforcement notice after the company was found to have sent out hundreds of thousands of spam text messages.

The ICO based the sanction on Data Protection legislation for breaching regulations under the EU Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation (PECR).
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