Only 20% Of UK Banks Can Properly Detect Breaches
Only one bank in five is highly confident in its ability to detect a data breach, with 50% of financial institutions having inadequate data security frameworks or privacy policies in place, research suggests.
Consultancy Capgemini surveyed 7,600 consumers and 183 senior security and privacy professionals from global banking and insurance firms in eight countries, including the UK, for its Currency of Trust report.
It found that the UK’s financial services organisations lag slightly behind the global average when it comes to confidence in their ability to detect a data breach, 19% vs 21%, although the country’s slightly ahead of the curve when it comes to having fully-automated cyber threat intelligence, 45% vs 40%.
When it comes to preparedness for GDPR, the upcoming EU-wide law that governs what penalties organisations will face for a data breach - the UK is also happily ahead of the game. Worldwide, only 32% of financial institutions consider themselves ready for the legislation, but in the UK that rises to 41%.
The UK also fares better than average when it comes to preventative measures, with only 31% taking three months to a year to patch and manage vulnerabilities, compared to a global average of 49%.
However, in some other areas UK financial institutions aren’t quite so virtuous. A total 83% of banks and insurance firms here retain customer data after they leave, compared to 78% globally. And, while more UK organisations update data consent clauses after a privacy policy is changed than the global average, at 26% it’s still very low.
Mike Turner, global cybersecurity chief operating officer at Capgemini, said: “Consumers implicitly trust banks with their money and data, but this faith is rooted in a mistaken belief their provider can be 100% secure. While banks are evolving to combat the sophisticated threat cyber criminals pose, public understanding of the threats and challenges remains low.
“The introduction of GDPR legislation next year is a prime opportunity for business transformation for banks and insurers to become the digital fortresses consumers believe them to be.”
What is a data breach?
Also known as a data leak or unintentional disclosure, a data breach occurs when confidential information falls into the wrong hands. This could be due to the work of hackers, a malicious internal actor, an oversight or a system failure.
For example, hackers stealing credit card information, an employee passing IP or financial data onto competitors, someone leaving a USB stick on a train, and the accidental attachment of a patient list to an email would all count as a data breach.
Data breach consequences
In the UK, a data breach can currently cost an organisation a fine of up to £500,000 if it is found to have been in contravention of the Data Protection Act 1998.
However, from May 2018, that figure will rise significantly thanks to GDPR, with fines of up to €10 million or 2% of annual turnover (whichever is greater) waiting for the worst offenders. You can find out more about GDPR here.
Famous data breaches
Famous recent data breaches include the 2014 Yahoo hack (revealed in 2016), with the details of up to 500 million customers stolen, the 2015 hacks of TalkTalk and Ashley Madison, which affected 4 million and 37 million customers respectively, and the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack, which led to the exfiltration of around 100 terabytes of data, according to the perpetrators.
Tesco Could Have Been Facing £2bn Fine After The Bank Hack:
TalkTalk's Cybersecurity Lesson: Hackers Target All The Major UK Banks:
