We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
The need for Cyber security is no longer an option – it’s needed, thanks to a real risk to all who live in modern society.
If you have a mobile phone, an email account, a bank account – anything that links you to the digital world where masses of information is stored online – you can be at risk. Even seeing your GP or having an operation opens you up to data breaches. How do you know a hospital receptionist won’t accidentally send your medical files into the public domain? Or perhaps your GP uses an old version of windows with a number of security faults that open patient databases vulnerable to data hacks?
The medical industry is under huge and constant threats of data breaches; but is there enough being done to protect it?
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Smart phones and apps; again…
Data researchers have found that a large majority of people are installing mobile applications on their phones without realising just how much data they’re sharing. Whilst the apps are required to seek permission before accessing certain information, it has transpired that some apps may be accessing more than users are aware of.
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According to security and risk management company CSO, hacked passwords are reportedly the cause of 81% of data breaches.
Some may then say “users/individuals should be more cautious about what passwords they use” – but what about the responsibility of businesses and organisations to ensure the safety of their users’ personal data?
The impact of one person’s compromised credentials could be felt far and wide…
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Some may fall into a false sense of security that governmental departments are the safest place for securing data, but latest statistics reveal that personal data held by governmental departments is being breached at least once an hour!
According to the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, there were an astonishing 8,995 data breaches in the largest 17 Whitehall departments back in 2015.
The figure amounts to approximately 24 breaches a day; i.e. one an hour!
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Telecommunication companies say they expect the number of breaches to rise over the next year and around 75% of these companies are wary that this is the case.
The study, undertaken by analyst firm Ovum, and commissioned by analytics software firm FICO, found that although 53% of U.K. executives believe there will be a growth in attempts to access data, less than half of firms are likely to direct their resources to enhancing cyber-security. This approach is clearly dangerous and reckless.
They’re aware that more and more people are trying to access data, but they seem to forget that, without effective cyber-security, more and more data breaches will be inevitable.
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Several popular applications were accused of accessing iPhone user contact address books without their knowledge or consent between 2009 and 2012.
Twitter, Instagram, Yelp and Foursquare are among the companies whose apps were accused of the data breach, and many complaints were made that the practice was a breach of personal privacy. With the number of people affected, the matter was brought to the attention of regulators who found that the social network platform Path were liable for breaches, and a huge settlement has been made.
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The University of East Anglia has been hit with anger and disappointment from students and the general public after it was revealed that a member of staff made a horrific error in sending out a spreadsheet listing named students’ extenuating circumstances.
The spreadsheet identified the 40 students by name and student ID number and had their private and confidential information with their names. The list of circumstances included things like family illness and bereavements; mental health problems including depression; and sexual assault cases.
We have already been contacted for advice and we’re investigating the issues.
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Sometimes the Chief Information Security Officer’s (CISO) role is hidden in the shadows, and they may generally be unheard of. However, Yahoo’s CISO, Bob Lord, has been in the limelight in recent years after two massive data breaches – arguably the biggest ones in recent history – that affected approximately a billion and a half of Yahoo’s users.
Mr Lord made jokes during an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt New York saying that he “may have broken a record” for the amount of emails sent. The email that circulated was to inform users of the breach.
Not sure the rest of us are finding this funny…
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Another massive cyber-attack in a healthcare industry.
More than 25,000 private photos – including naked images – were made public by hackers on the 30th May as they gained access to a Lithuanian surgery’s server.
The Grozio Chirurgija clinic based in Kaunas, Lithuania, was hacked earlier this year by a group calling themselves “Tsar Team”. They managed to break into the servers in March, originally releasing a portion of their database alongside a large ransom demand from the surgery.
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The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has concluded investigations into the online building products supplier, Construction Materials Online Limited (CMO), for breaching data protection principles.
The investigation first began when the online company was hacked back in May 2014.
Cyber criminals managed to identify a security vulnerability and performed an SQL injection into the company’s customer database. This method is commonly used for both destroying databases and stealing information, and in this case, it was to steal bank details from hundreds of customers.
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EasyJet admits data of nine million hacked
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The biggest data breaches of 2020
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