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London Borough of Islington fined £79,000 for security flaw that may have compromised personal data belonging to 89,000 people

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has found that the London Borough of Islington is liable for breaching data protection duties through their reported failure to keep 89,000 people’s personal data safe on an online parking ticketing database.

Information including sensitive health details, disabilities and financial details were reportedly not properly secured.

Islington Council uses a ‘Ticket Viewer’ system to allow members of the public to review CCTV images or videos of the parking offence so they may check any tickets issued, and it is this system that is at the centre of the breach.
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Every single Yahoo account has been hacked – that’s three billion accounts!

2016 revealed one of the biggest data hacks in history when a reported one billion Yahoo user accounts were found to have been hacked, with login information stolen.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, it has now been revealed that the epic data breach affected all Yahoo users; tripling the initial number of accounts thought to be affected.

The three billion accounts breached is a number equivalent to almost half of the world’s entire population. Accounts for Yahoo-acquired social media platforms Tumblr, Fantasy and Flickr have also reportedly been compromised in the breach.
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Equifax CEO resigned just before testifying over colossal data breach

Former Equifax CEO Richard Smith’s retirement, just days before he was scheduled to testify over the huge data breach at court, has generated a lot of criticism. Although his resignation can be deemed as a positive reaction to the breach that reportedly exposed the details of some 143 million individuals, prosecutors are condemning it as not enough to make up for the “travesty”.

It’s thought that some 209,000 credit card numbers were compromised in the breach, with some belonging to U.K. customers. Reports suggest that Smith will be “keeping $18 million in pension benefits and possibly $30 million in stock options.”
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Celebrity Steve Coogan awarded six-figure sum in damages for phone hacking scandal

Known for his portrayal of fictional character Alan Partridge, comedian Steve Coogan was the victim of a hacking scandal that led to details of his personal life published in newspapers, revealing intimate information about his family life, sexual encounters and alleged drug use.

Coogan is amongst dozens of other celebrities who have settled damages claims against Mirror Group Newspaper for reportedly hacking their phones to obtain private information to seemingly publish it in the media and, we assume, sell more papers.

It was a horrid scandal, and the levels of damages awarded goes to show the extent the courts are prepared to go to when people are the victim of malicious hacking.
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Despite data breaches spike most U.K. businesses are confident in preparedness of a breach

This year has seen some of the biggest data breaches and hacks ever seen. Only this summer we witnessed NHS computers attacked by malware demanding a ransom, forcing many hospitals and surgeries to practically shut down across the U.K.

The business sector has also suffered their fair amount of data breaches this year as well. Experts are forever telling us that cybercriminals continue to evolve their techniques, but despite these warnings, businesses are reportedly “gravely optimistic about their ability to deter and cope with malicious attacks.”

Its hardly convincing, is it?
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Abbott to recall 465,000 pacemakers to patch up hacking risk

Another cybersecurity risk involving medical devices. These are, of course, very concerning.

Global healthcare and research firm Abbott is reportedly recalling 465,000 of their pacemakers after discovering a security vulnerability that could expose the medical device to malicious hackers. The recalled devices will have software updated to “reduce the risk of patient harm due to potential exploitation of cybersecurity vulnerabilities“, regulators confirm.

According to reports, hackers could “access a patient’s device using commercially available equipment” and “modify programming commands to the implanted pacemaker, which could result in patient harm from rapid battery depletion or administration of inappropriate pacing.”
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Smiths Medical confirms drug pump hacking vulnerability

Manufacturer of Medfusion 4000 drug pumps, Smiths Medical, has confirmed their medical devices are vulnerable to cyberattacks and could be hacked into remotely.

Hackers may be able to take control of the device and stop it from working, therefore preventing lifesaving drugs being administered to patients.

The manufacturer supplies its drug pumps to hospitals across the globe. It is not known how many of these devices are in use here in the U.K.
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HBO to produce multiple endings for Game of Thrones series to throw off leakers

Is this what we have to do nowadays to prevent the problems caused by leaks and hacks? Is this really what we need to stoop to?

It seems so…

The popular HBO network was recently hacked and had an incredible 1.5 terabytes of unreleased footage, scripts and other sensitive documents leaked. In a bid to prevent spoilers from being released, HBO are reportedly creating multiple endings to the popular TV show, Game of Thrones; and who can blame them, I guess?
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Aetna sued for revealing HIV statuses of 12,000 patients

Health insurer, Aetna Inc, is being sued for a serious oversight that reportedly revealed the HIV status of around 12,000 patients when a letter was sent out to customers with large clear windows that referenced HIV medication.

It’s a monumental blunder that’s similar to the London sexual health clinic, 56 Dean Street breach, where an email was sent to over 700 patients with names and email addresses for recipients visible. We act for a large proportion of the people claiming in that action.

The clear window is of course intended to be clear, so the address is shown for posting, but this doesn’t change the fact that the letter clearly hadn’t been properly planned out given that private medical information was visible too.
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Employees reportedly need updated data security training

As technology in industry improves, many employees are being provided with more and more advanced devices and software to help for a more efficient workplace. From unified portals to mobile devices, employees are often given shiny new tools to work with all the time; but do they know how to use them safely?

A significant proportion of data breaches can result from employee mistakes: from accidental emails being sent, to uploading information online, and hackers targeting vulnerabilities to gain entry into customer databases. Cybersecurity experts have long identified employees as one of the weakest links when it comes to securing data in organisations.
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