Data security: The number of security breach incidents reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) of the United Kingdom increased by 17% between the last quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, from 815 to 957.
Interestingly, although incidents related to cyber attacks increased by 31% from the previous quarter, the monthly rate of increase of human errors per month rose dramatically.
In more detail, during the fiscal year 2017-18, 3325 reports were submitted to the ICO on the topic of “sending data via e-mail to the wrong address”, “sending data via fax to the wrong address”, as well as “loss or theft of documents”, with each of the three accounting for 13% of the total reports.
The Health sector recorded by far the highest reporting rate of 37% while the general‑type businesses follow at 11%, the education sector at 11% and local government at 10%.
Nominet's chief technology officer, Simon McCalla, said the rise in reported incidents could be a result of companies trying to comply with the European Union's new GDPR.
He also added that, surprisingly, incidents caused by human factors far outnumber those caused by cyberattacks, suggesting that better preparation and training for employees is needed.
“Now that GDPR compliance is a must, it is more important than ever for organizations to adopt a data security-focused approach, determining what technology and tools they can provide to their employees to guarantee the secure storage and management of personal data,” he added.
