Cyber incidents up by more than a third with retail and manufacturing hardest hit

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has recently announced a collaboration with the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) as its recent figures show that reported cyber related incidents have increased by 36% compared to the same quarter last year.

The Q2 report, covering the period July – October 2020, also revealed a 58% increase in reported data breaches as a result of unauthorised access, and a 289% surge in ransomware incidents.

Kingsley Hayes, head of data breach at Keller Lenkner UK, commented: “The ICO is forging partnerships with other organisations to bolster efforts to protect individual’s private data. The overall picture shows that there has been a 13% decrease in the total number of data violations in Q2 compared to the same period last year.

“While that on its own is reassuring businesses, and individuals, should remain on alert as cyber related breaches jumped by more than a third. The pandemic has brought added risks with more people working from home, so it is surprising that data breaches due to human error have in fact decreased by 24%.

“As Covid means a greater reliance on online shopping, it is concerning, but not unexpected, to see that the retail and manufacturing sector was the hardest hit by cyber incidents, most of which were due to phishing.

“The health sector remains the most affected by breaches due to human error although the total number has decreased by 31% to 378 during the same quarter this year. The pandemic and Brexit both pose incredible challenges. The focus, investment and commitment needed to protect personal information, however, should continue to be a top priority as we all navigate unchartered waters.”

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Rana Audah