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NHS data breach reportedly compromised personal data for hundreds of staff

The Health Service Journal has revealed that the NHS has suffered yet another data breach; this time compromising the personal data of hundreds of staff.

Information about hundreds of junior doctors was reportedly published online in error. The NHS has been plagued by so many data breaches that it doesn’t seem like such a surprise to hear about this story. The healthcare sector is a goldmine for data breaches for a range of reasons, like the value of medical records, as well as the general sensitivity of medical information as well.
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Colossal confidential data breach reportedly throws Swedish government into panic

Sweden’s government is under fire for a huge data breach that may have compromised highly sensitive information of almost all of their citizens, including the identities of military personnel.

The shocking data breach was reported by Swedish national newspaper, Dagens Nyheter. The disclosure was made when the newspaper reported that former director general of the Swedish Transport Agency, Maria Agren, was reportedly fired at the beginning of the year for mishandling sensitive information, and fined $8,500 failing to follow data protection laws.

The head of IT at the agency shamefully admitted that “the keys to the kingdom” had been given away.
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Data breaches in the U.K. retail sector doubled in one year

Data breaches are continually increasing at an alarming rate, and U.K. retailers are a prime cause for data breaches and leaks.

Statistics show that in 2014/15, U.K. retailers reported 17 data breaches. The next year, it increased to 19. However, 2016/17 has seen a sudden spike of 38 reported data breaches, with no signs of slowing down.

These data breaches aren’t just malicious hackers attacking databases, but also include employees accidentally leaking or losing information.
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43% of retailers “have experienced a data breach in the past year” according to Thales Data Threat Report

Thales e-Security have published a report on data breaches for businesses and organisations, and the findings are a cause for concern.

According to the research, 43% of retailers have suffered a data breach in the past 12 months.

Just think about how many purchases you have made in the past year; now imagine almost half of those companies has suffered a data breach in the past year alone. This is a worrying issue, and it’s one that can affect us all.
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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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