When GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations,) came in to effect last year its intention was to safeguard personal information and give people greater power over how their data was to be used. However, it was revealed in August at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, that the policy may in fact be used to the benefit of identity thieves. 

During a presentation, a student of Oxford University revealed how he was able to acquire personal information from a variety of businesses about his fiancée, including credit card numbers, passwords and her mother’s maiden name. He gained this information by sending out a number of GDPR data requests, with businesses accepting only an email address or a phone number a proof of identification. 

As part of the GDPR, businesses must comply to requests for information promptly, but with many businesses appointing untrained administration roles the responsibility of these requests and not those used to or trained in handling data enquiries, mistakes can happen. Businesses trying to stay compliant to GDPR, respond to the data requests and can fall foul of these tactics. They are then liable for a fine of up to 4% gross annual turnover or €20 million, whichever is higher. 

This is a warning to all organisations, whether your business is a large enterprise or a growing start up, safeguarding your data cannot be taken lightly.  

Concerned about your data security? 

SMS can ensure that your business data is secure and compliant, and if you still need help putting a plan in place you can download the SMS guide to becoming GDPR compliant.

How can SMS safeguard my business data? 

  • Enterprise Mobility and Security (EM+S) – Protect your Office 365 environment from any unforeseen dangers as you work on the go 
  • Azure Information Protection– Protect documents, emails and more with classification and permission settings 
  • SSL certificates – Allows secure connection from a web server to a browser increasing your site’s trust rankings and enabling your business to securely offer online transactions to your customers 

Call one of our helpful team if you would like to find out more on protecting your business on +44 (0)1925 818448.