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Lynda.com, owned by LinkedIn and Microsoft, fell victim to a data breach which lost 55,000 passwords

Lynda.com – a subsidiary company of LinkedIn – has recently sent out an email to 9.5 million users to warn them of a data breach.

Although not all 9.5 million users’ data was apparently breached, the online learning company has been keen to alert all users of the breach “out of an abundance of caution”. The database that was accessed included contact information and courses that the users viewed, and a LinkedIn spokesperson also revealed that around 55,000 passwords were in the breached database.
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British Heart Foundation fined for secretly screening donor’s information for targeting most generous

The British Heart Foundation Charity secretly screened thousands of their donors to target the most generous ones for further donations. As a result of their behaviour, they have been given a monetary fine by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Although the first thing that springs to mind is the fact that we’re talking about a charity here, we must always remember that no one is above the law – a fact that the ICO had to recognise when investigating their behaviour.
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IoT devices will be subject to the most cyber-attacks in 2017

CSO Online, an online community that offers data protection advice, has highlighted that smart gadget devices – like the Apple Watch, or smart boiler controls – will be the next in line in for big cyber-attacks.

As the world continues to develop technological crazes, the cybersecurity to match technological development is questionable, and attention is turning on to the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These devices have been praised by technology enthusiasts as it gives us greater control over door locks, lights, and appliances, as well as streamlining businesses and ultimately making the user’s life a lot easier.

At the same time, it’s drawn a lot of criticism because these devices could allow opportunities for hackers to attack.
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NHS admin worker guilty of illegally accessing sensitive medical records of friends and family

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has given a former NHS administrator a fine for illegally accessing sensitive medical records of people they know.

Whilst working at the Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, the former admin worker took advantage of their position and searched for medial information on their friends and family without their consent. The former admin worker pleaded guilty to breaching s55 of the Data Protection Act. The ICO consequently issued a fine and have also ordered them to pay costs and a victim surcharge.
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ICO issues fine for historical society who had a laptop containing donor information stolen

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has reported that a historical society has breached data protection laws when one of its work laptops were stolen.

An employee was using it away from the workplace and had set it down in an undisclosed location when a break-in occurred, and the laptop – among other things – was stolen. The laptop, purchased by the historical society, contained sensitive personal information of artefact donors.

The ICO did not further explain exactly what information this included.
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“Spam marketing has landed Nouveau Finance a £70,000 fine” – Companies who use personal data for spam purposes remain in the ICO’s firing line

Aren’t marketing text messages one of the most irritating things?

Well, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has thankfully penalised a company for abusing text marketing powers. The issue with this batch of marketing messages is that it was done using personal information for marketing purposes without proper consent, and therefore constituted as a breach of the law.
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“Unsolicited marketing calls have landed a legal firm a £30,000 fine” – Assist Law Ltd used private information solely to make unsolicited marketing calls

Assist Law Limited has been hit with a monetary penalty from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for making unsolicited marketing phone calls to people who were registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

The Weston Super Mare legal firm felt the force of the ICO who imposed the monetary penalty for making the phone calls for marketing purposes over a period of a year.
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Cisco reportedly failed to protect users’ data following system maintenance

Cisco Systems, a renowned leader in IT, has admitted that one of its websites has leaked their users’ personal details.

It goes to show that even the big IT companies can find it impossible to keep personal data 100 per cent secure. You could argue that it’s particularly embarrassing for Cisco, as the company reportedly prides itself on its security.

It’s a stark reminder about just how vulnerable our personal data continues to be!
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“The Northamptonshire PCC data breach” – Adam Simmonds is charged for disclosing confidential information

A former Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Adam Simmonds, is charged and due to be on trial next year for breaching data protection provisions.

Mr Simmonds is accused of unlawfully disclosing information about a Wellingborough MP, Peter Bone, during his time in office from 2012 to 2016. There’s little clarification as to what information was disclosed, but the documents were classified as confidential, according to reports.
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ICO fines two employees for a data breach when they used personal data wrongfully

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has prosecuted two employees, Lesley Severs and Kayleigh Billington, who worked at a claims management company. They both had access to data that was reportedly illegally obtained from another company, to go on to use the personal data to make calls to insurers.

The personal data in question included information about policy holders and their recent or historic road traffic accidents. The personal data would’ve no doubt included names, addresses, vehicle identification numbers, dates of birth, and so on.
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