Member Article

Cyber theft surges amongst UK businesses

Company hacking has reached new heights, according to data from KPMG, as 160m people were affected by data leaks in 2012.

A recent campaign launched by U.S. President, Barack Obama’s administration, has highlighted the need for organisations across the globe to protect themselves against hackers.

Businesses suffered a significant rise in information hacking from just 8% of firms in 2010 to 52% in 2012.

Threats to business information are increasingly directed from outside the company, whilst internal hacking is falling.

Technology, financial services and retail were some of the worst affected areas over the past five years, and media companies faced the highest incidence of hacking, which accounted for 98% of data losses last year.

KMPG’s Northern Risk Consulting practice leader, Martin Tyley, said: “We are witnessing a shift from the accidental loss of data to deliberate theft, to re-sell or sometimes simply for sport or to make a great headline.

“Millions of individuals are being robbed of personal information around the world as the hacking of company data has rocketed in the last two years.

“Several of the world’s largest companies have been targeted over recent months by hackers who have grown in sophistication.

“It is now not just a lone hacker sitting in their bedroom but, in many cases, serious organisations backed by nation states who are leading this new phenomenon.”

Mr Tyley advised that businesses should educate their staff about the value of the information they hold, and how to protect it physically and online.

He added that firms should check the amount of information available online through public facing documents, and ensure that internet facing systems are fully patched and updated.

Staff should also receive back-up training, according to KPMG, to ensure that information security is taken seriously by the workforce.

Mr Tyley concluded: “These statistics typically only include incidents where there is an obligation to report or where the breach has entered the public domain.

“Incidents which involve the loss or theft of commercial data that does not relate to individuals goes largely unreported.

“When it comes to confidentiality, public sector organisations are no different to business in the private sector.

“They both have a duty of care to ensure that personal data remains secure. In an environment where cuts are the currency of the moment, there is a real risk that other parts of the public sector will not follow.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .