14.12.2009 | Security breaches caused mostly by theft

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued figures showing that burglary and theft account for a third of all data security breaches. These statistics highlight these crimes to be the most significant risk for organisations responsible for holding personal details. In 2007 25 million child benefit records went missing which focused public attention on the problem of personal data loss. Since that time 711 organisations across the public, private and third sectors have reported security breaches to the ICO: 231 of these involved theft.

There is particular concern over the records held by NHS bodies as the information they hold is normally particularly sensitive. 209 of these bodies have signed undertakings to improve security. In an attempt to focus better security measures taken by organizations a series of fines are to be introduced in 2010. Reckless breaches will face significant monetary penalties.