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Insurance surgery: Take action against cyberbullies

Tim Smith illustrates the growing urgency for businesses to develop a plan in the event of cyber attacks

Cyber security is seldom far from the headlines these days. Whether it is celebrities such as Taylor Swift finding that personal (and often intimate) photographs suddenly appear in the public domain or the news last month that President Obama’s emails have been hacked by Russians, these incidents are not only embarrassing but serve to highlight the ease at which media and communication platforms, even at a government level, are readily accessible to hackers. 

Serious consequences

Such attacks can have very serious consequences, not just for the individuals involved but also for the businesses that are targeted. Earlier this year a high street retailer signed an undertaking with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), to make a number of substantial changes to its data protection policies, after the exposure of millions of customers’ personal data following a hacking incident. A database, due to be decommissioned, was left unencrypted which allowed a hacker to

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris

Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris

Sheffield expansion continues with appointment of commercial property partner

Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan

Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan

Browne Jacobson strengthens banking and finance practice with latest partner appointment Paul Duggan

Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott

Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott

Employment partner joins Ward Hadaway

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Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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