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Who is responsible for data protection? Blame HR, apparently…

According to some recent and rather worrying research, the question as to who is responsible for data protection is that it’s a HR problem, some executives say.

According to a spread of UK executives who were asked about where the responsibilities are in terms of compromised credentials, like stolen or misused passwords, it’s a HR training issue.

It’s understood that one-fifth of respondents placed the responsibility in the hands of HR departments, with close to a thousand executives questioned. Some respondents also considered compromised credentials and weak passwords as very little risk to the business as well.

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Ransomware attacks still on the rise

Ransomware attacks are still on the rise, and we all have every reason to be very worried about the increasing trends we’re seeing.

According to at least one piece of recent research, 2018 has already seen double the rate of ransomware attacks so far, but what’s equally as concerning is that the attacks are changing tact to go for bigger targets to demand higher ransoms, and the hackers are enjoying success.

It’s a sign of the times, and we all need to be very careful to make sure we protect ourselves from the growing risks of ransomware attacks.

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MyHeritage data breach a wake-up call

The MyHeritage data breach was a massive wake-up call about the dangers of providing personal and sensitive data to companies, with some 92m users affected by the breach.

When we have the ability to provide companies like MyHeritage with DNA information, which is used together with personal and sensitive information and a wealth of data about family histories, the massive MyHeritage data breach is a monumental wake-up call.

The family networking and genealogy site discovered the data breach last month, which reportedly took place in October last year.

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Ticketmaster data breach

There has been a Ticketmaster data breach that we’re advising victims for and taking on claims for data breach compensation.

People who used the Tickmaster service between February and June 2018 may have been affected.

The Ticketmaster data breach was discovered on Saturday 23^rd June and customers have today received email notifications confirming whether they have been affected by the breach. Personal information and payment information is thought to have been accessed.

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When 246,000 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Employees’ details are found on a home computer, it’s time to question data security

The U.S. reported a discovery of 246,000 sensitive personal records belonging to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees on a home computer owned by an employee. The department and its employees have a vital mission to “secure the nation from the many threats” the U.S faces.

One can only wonder if they ever suspect their own colleague to be a major security threat to their personal lives…

This, let’s face it, is the kind of thing we do not want to hear about. Although this story hails from across the pond, we’ve had our own issues of a similar nature of course. The Heathrow USB stick incident springs to mind.
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South African data breach compromises 30 million personal records

Creator and founder of HaveIBeenPwned.com, Troy Hunt, discovered yet another data dump last year. This one reportedly contained personal data belonging to millions in this staggering South African data breach.

At the time of discovery, the information was available from an online public database back-up file and even came with a smaller compressed version. Anyone on the site could download the information.
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Emergency services upgrade to tougher Samsung smartphones

The British government have struck a £210 million deal with South Korean technology giant, Samsung, to arm its emergency services with custom toughened smartphones.

Britain’s police, paramedics and fire crews will be supplied with Samsung smartphones to carry out their jobs more easily and efficiently. For £210 million, Samsung will provide the services with 250,000 smartphones on a three-year deal. These devices are said to be water-resistant and will be connected to 4G internet.
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There’s a reported shortage of cybersecurity specialists to protect organisations from breaches

The number of breaches are on the rise and they’re set to continue to rise due to an apparent shortage of experts trained in cybersecurity.

The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) teamed-up with IT firm Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) to produce a report on cybersecurity. Released one year after their first one, the report depicts a problem that is getting worse.

And we should all be very, very concerned about it…
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Organisations reportedly still not doing enough to prevent data breaches…

Many organisations are still only reacting to data breaches when they hit the news; but why aren’t they doing more to prevent data breaches and stop them from happening in the first place?

Each time a breach happens, real people and real lives are often affected. Organisations are not always seeing how a data breach can have huge psychological impact on the victims that can cause lasting harm and financial losses, and cause huge financial loss to the organisations themselves.

Will the attitude toward data security ever change?
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More firms fear data breaches but don’t know how to deal with them…

With the number of high-profile data breaches growing, like the Yahoo and Equifax hacks as two examples, more and more businesses are aware that they’ll probably suffer one sooner or later.

However, even though they’re aware of the risks and the possibility of an imminent attack, a lot of businesses reportedly don’t know where to start in terms of data security and how to react when a breach does happen.

This is worrying…
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