One of Britain’s most prestigious private cosmetic surgery brands, Harley Medical Group, has been targeted by hackers. As many as 500,000 confidential customer details were stolen in the data breach on Monday evening in an attempt to blackmail the company. The firm has issued an apology online and chairman, Peter Boddy, assured customers that “clinical and financial information has not been compromised.”
Harley Medical Group promises complete confidentiality for those undergoing treatment and with many celebrities using Harley Medical Group as their surgery of choice, one can only reason they got off lightly. This latest news in data breaches comes days after Symantec released its “Internet Security Threat Report”, in which a 62% rise in global data breaches from 2012 to 2013 was revealed, with over 552 million identities being exposed in 2013. The report also revealed that the average size of a data breach is increasing; 8 breaches each resulted in more than 10 million identities being exposed in 2013, compared to only one exposing more than that figure in 2012. Organisations must, now more than ever, view data security as an issue of paramount importance.
Repercussions of a data breach are long lasting and include a loss of customer trust, lost sales, negative brand impression, fines and potentially diminished profits. Simple steps such as regularly changing passwords and regularly reviewing access to files all helps in the quest to keep information secure but as hackers have become more sophisticated, it has become necessary for security to be foremost in mind at all times when implementing new IT systems.
Redstor’s range of secure and encrypted cloud services are already protecting the data of over 10,000 organisations across the UK. Redstor’s Online Backup service ensures data is safely backed up offsite in an encrypted format. Our cloud sync and share service, Centrastor, enables organisations to store and share files securely online from any device with an Internet connection and our CentraStage service enables support providers to guarantee that devices they support are regularly audited, patched and safely up-to-date for effective endpoint management. Our Virtual Disaster Recovery service guarantees to have your systems up and running within minutes following a disaster. To find out more about our services and how we can help you comply with data protection laws and prevent data leakage, please contact us either by giving us a ring on 01189 515 200 or emailing [email protected].
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