It may come as little surprise that cyber crime is on the rise. Statistics recently published by the ICO show that the number of cyber incidents increased by 57% in Q4 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 with ransomware being the type of incident that seen the largest increase (170%). Over 3000 cyber breaches were reported to the ICO in 2023!
In light of this growing problem, the ICO published an article last week titled ‘Organisations must do more to combat the growing threat of cyber attacks’ in which Stephen Bonner, ICO Deputy Commissioner – Regulatory Supervision stated that many organisations are still neglecting the very foundations of cyber security.
The ICO has indicated that it is keen to encourage and support organisations to improve their security and it has released additional guidance this month including a report titled Learning from the mistakes of others. The 28 page document can be downloaded from their website and it is aimed at people who are responsible for compliance with data protection legislation or for managing information security (or both).
However, it also seems clear that organisations that continue to fail to address the basics of cyber security can expect the ICO to take a tough line in future. Stephen Bonner stated “there is absolutely no excuse for not having the foundational controls in place. These are essential to protecting people’s personal information and we will take action, including fines, against organisations that are still not taking simple steps to secure their systems.”
ASSUREMORE recommends that all organisations review their information security risks on a regular basis and this warning from the ICO may act as a timely reminder for organisations that have been struggling to prioritise these types of activities. If you need any help with managing information security risks or other privacy matters please get in touch with us at ASSUREMORE.
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