Category Archives: Data policy

Why Google’s £44m GDPR fine should be a wake-up call for organisations everywhere

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by Ian Heritage

We’ve been waiting some time for European GDPR regulators to flex their muscles since the legislation came into force at the end of May 2018. Well, now they have, after Google was handed a €50m (£44m) fine in France. Although this particular case revolved around privacy and transparency over how consumers’ information is used, rather than data security, it clearly serves as a warning notice for firms, wherever they are.

In light of the judgement, IT and data protection teams should be redoubling their compliance efforts. As we predicted in December, a maximum 4% fine is still on the cards for this year, and the next one could be for a major data breach. Continue reading →

GDPR Compliance is Not Mission Impossible

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by Bharat Mistry

With one month to go until the GDPR compliance deadline, there are many organisations still struggling to get the right security processes and controls in place. A new global poll of senior legal officers from KPMG found that over half of (54%) feel their businesses is not prepared for the new privacy laws. Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. The biggest challenge with regulations like GDPR has been interpretation not only for the organisation but also for the certifying body. In the case of GDPR these are written in legal terms as opposed to technological ones, making it challenging to know what exactly needs to be done in order to be compliant. Proven frameworks such as NIST 800-53 can support a solid information security programme to help appease regulators. Continue reading →

CNI Firms: Layer Up Security to Help Meet NIS Directive Obligations

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by Bharat Mistry

There’s a major new piece of EU cybersecurity-related legislation landing in May, but it might not be the one you’re thinking of. Most UK organisations have their eyes firmly focused on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But arguably just as important for companies operating in critical infrastructure sectors is the new Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS) Directive. It introduces a range of best practice security steps which organisations must follow: fail to do so and you could face a GDPR-sized fine of up to £17m.

The government has already committed to transposing the directive into UK law irrespective of Brexit. With a 10 May deadline looming, the clock is ticking. Continue reading →

Equifax Breach Drives Home the Importance of Prompt Patching as GDPR Approaches

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by Bharat Mistry

No organisation is breach-proof: we all know that the odds are stacked too high in the attackers’ favour. However, by following industry best practices we can make it as difficult as possible for hackers, and discourage all but the most determined and well resourced. That’s why it will dismay many in the industry to learn that Equifax knew about the vulnerability that it claims led to a massive breach at the firm this year, all the way back in March. However, it was apparently only fully patched months later once the damage had been done.

Given the scale of the breach, and the fact the firm could have been hit with fines of over $60m under the forthcoming GDPR regime, this should serve as yet another cautionary tale to IT leaders. Best practice security, including effective patch management, is called “best practice” for a reason. Continue reading →