The Head of Cyber Security at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has warned that security breaches have reached an all time high, with 93% of larger businesses suffering a security breach within the last year and 87% of smaller businesses being similarly affected, a jump of 76% since 2012. Often the breach is not always from the outside: many of these breaches are staff related. Costs to remedy these breaches can range from a few thousand pounds to hundreds of thousands when the breach affects the reputation of the business, for instance, if it is publicised. A survey carried out by BIS showed that the cost to smaller businesses was on average between £35,000-£65,000, whilst that for large businesses ranged from £450,000-£850,000. One company in London last year was estimated to have lost £800m in revenue from a cyber attack. Law firms are no exception when it comes to cyber attacks. In many ways, they are a greater target, as they store la...
Brian Miller, solicitor, provides legal advice on data protection and privacy issues affecting businesses and consumers.