The confirmation of the TalkTalk data breach will have left millions of customers in the UK fretting over the security of their personal data.
Industry experts have had their say:
1. Michala Hart, head of channel strategy, Exponential-e
"Once again, this latest attack shows that it¹s not a matter of if you’ll be hacked but when.
"It’s important to remember that in a digital world, absolute security is a myth. As security evolves, so do hackers and the very flexibility in the software that we’ve come to embrace creates a problem. As complexity and connectedness increase, so do the avenues of attacks so all businesses need to be prepared."
2. Jes Breslaw, director of strategy, Delphix
"Organisations need to take this threat seriously and focus on protecting all the data that sits at the very core of their business by rendering it unusable if stolen."
3. Andy Heather, VP EMEA, HP Security – Data Security
"This breach highlights a need for companies to place tighter controls on how their customers’ sensitive information is protected. If data is left unprotected, it’s not a matter of "if" it will be compromised – it’s a matter of "when".
Even the best security systems in the world cannot keep attackers away from sensitive data in all circumstances. When a company is storing sensitive information about their customers, the risk is to the data itself."
4. Nick Wilding, head of cyber resilience, AXELOS
"The reality is that despite how much money, people, resources, and technology you apply to the cyber threat, you will never be bullet-proof. You will be breached at some time. No organisation, whatever size they are or whichever sector they operate in, is safe."
5. Phil Barnett, VP of Global Sales, Good Technology
"The majority of companies are still flying blind when it comes to data security, because 60 per cent still think that it doesn’t affect them. The truth is, it’s no longer just a conversation for banks and governments, recent hacks and data breaches show that anyone and everyone is a potential victim."