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9 out of 10 healthcare organisations have dealt with data breaches

According to a Ponemon Institute study (Sixth Annual Benchmark Study on Privacy & Security of Healthcare Data) released in May 2016, 90% of all healthcare organisations have ‘dealt with a data breach in the past two years‘.

As we know, data breaches appear to be on an upward trend for a number of reasons, including the greater reliance on digital means of storing and accessing information, as well as because data breach reporting is often mandatory in many countries, and the rules are being tightened.

This latest research doesn’t make for comfortable reading at all…
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Canada’s data breach costs are the second highest in the world

According to Canadian lawyers who specialises in cybersecurity and data protection law, very few Canadian organisations are properly prepared to handle data breaches.

This is substantiated by the fact that the average data breach cost in Canada is the second highest in the world, according to the 2017 IBM and Ponemon Institute report. This consensus of how bad things may be is generally shared by many Canadian lawyers as well, with even the most basic protection models not in place for minimising data breaches.
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Tewksbury Hospital admits data breach by former employee

A former employee stands accused of inappropriately accessing over a thousand patient records without authorisation.

It’s believed more than 1,100 patients may have had their medical records viewed without reason for a 14-year period.

Authorities were alerted to the data breach when a former patient raised concerns that their medical records may have been accessed inappropriately online. An internal review found that a hospital employee had indeed accessed the records “without a good reason” to do so. From there, it was found that the same employee had accessed a huge number of former and current patient medical records without authorisation or grounds to do so.
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U.S hotel malware may have compromised guests’ credit card data

A four-star hotel in the U.S. has discovered a data breach that may have compromised an undisclosed number of guests’ credit card information.

The Galt House Hotel, located in the state of Kentucky, discovered malicious software stealing information from a “payment card processing system” where credit card information is stored for payment purposes.

An internal investigation discovered the malware, and it’s believed that guests who used their credit cards to pay for visits between 21^st December 2016 and 11^th April 2017 may be affected.
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Data breaches are happening more and more frequently: and we can’t keep up…

Reviewing statistics for data breaches over the past few years, there is a worrying increase in the number of breaches and how quickly they’re happening.

In some areas there has been an almost 30% increase in data breaches over the last six months alone, and experts predict that the number of breaches may double by the end of the year.

In a study conducted by Identity Theft Resource Center and CyberScout (ITRC), comparing trends this half year with the same time period last year, they were understandably shocked by their findings…
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108,000 BUPA customers have their personal information lost

International healthcare provider, BUPA, has admitted a breach of data protection rules over mishandling more than a hundred thousand customers’ personal information.

BUPA is understood to have lost the information by copying and deleting data, which is against company policy. The information lost included: Patient first and last names; patient dates of birth; patient nationalities; and patient contact information.

BUPA customers have been notified of the data breach. Whilst no medical nor financial information is thought to have been lost in this security incident, some customers may understandably be angry.
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Newcastle City Council leaks sensitive information on thousands of adopted children

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating Newcastle City Council after a data breach exposed the personal information of adopted children.

The north-eastern council has recently come under fire for the breach that saw the personal information of 2,743 adopted children – information which included sensitive data about the children, and included data on parents, social workers and former adoptees – sent out in an email by mistake.
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UniCredit data breach puts 400,000 customers at risk

Based in Milan, UniCredit Banca is the largest bank in Italy whilst maintaining a global reach with its banking and financial services. Unfortunately, the bank was subject to two security breaches that may have compromised hundreds of thousands of customers’ information.

It’s believed that hackers may have stolen personal data and certain financial information. Customer account numbers may be compromised but UniCredit has assured the public that account passwords were not accessed and therefore unauthorised transactions cannot be made.

Or so we hope…
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How data breaches can destroy trust!

In the U.K., companies, organisations and individuals are bound by Data Protection legislation to handle and store personal data safely and securely.

Today, almost all personal data is digitalised in one way or another. From transferring money on our online banking accounts to posting a picture on our social media platforms, we’re constantly using the internet to store and share information. In return, we expect our banks and social media platforms to keep that information safe.

Unfortunately, where there is data, breaches will always be a threat.
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Avanti self-service food vending kiosks hacked

U.S. payment kiosk vendor, Avanti Markets, recently fell victim to a malware scam. The U.S. kiosk vendor’s innovation is to take away counter services and replace them with an all-serving vending machine that covers whole sandwiches, fruit, drinks and junk food with one payment system.
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