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Organisations must act now to avoid oldest hackers trick in the book 
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News release 5
November 2014
The Information Commissioner’s
Office (ICO) is warning organisations that they must make sure their
websites are protected against one of the most common online attacks –
known as SQL injection.
The warning comes after the
hotel booking website, Worldview
Limited, was fined
£7,500 following a serious data breach where a vulnerability
on the
company’s site allowed attackers to access the full payment card
details of 3,814 customers.
The data was accessed after
the attacker exploited a flaw on a page of the Worldview website to
access the company’s customer database. Although customers’ payment
details had been encrypted, the means to decrypt the information –
known as the decryption key - was stored with the data. This oversight
allowed the attackers to access the customers’ full card details,
including the three digit security code needed to authorise payment.
The weakness had existed on
the website since May 2010 and was only uncovered during a routine
update on 28 June 2013. The attackers had access to the information for
ten days. The company has now corrected the flaw and have invested in
improving their IT security systems.
Worldview Limited would have
received a £75,000 penalty but the ICO was required to consider the
company’s financial situation.
Simon Rice, ICO Group Manager
for Technology, said:
“It may come as a surprise to
many in the IT security industry that this type of attack is still
allowed to occur. SQL injection attacks are preventable but
organisations need to spend the necessary time and effort to make sure
their website isn’t vulnerable. Worldview Limited failed to do this,
allowing the card details of over three thousand customers to be
compromised.
“Organisations must act now to
avoid one of the oldest hackers’ tricks in the book. If you don’t have
the expertise in-house, then find someone who does, otherwise you may
be the next organisation on the end of an ICO fine and the reputational
damage that results from a serious data breach.”
Simon has written a
blog explaining how an SQL
injection attack works and how organisations can
protect themselves from it. The ICO has also published a
report explaining how
organisations can protect themselves from SQL attacks and the other
common IT security failings uncovered during its recent
investigations.
If you need more information,
please contact the ICO press office on 0303 123 9070 or visit the
website at: www.ico.org.uk.
Notes
- The Information Commissioner’s
Office upholds information rights in the public interest, promoting
openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
- The ICO has specific
responsibilities set out in the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom
of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and
Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
- The ICO is on Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn.
Read more in the ICO blog and e-newsletter.Our Press Office
page provides more information for journalists.
- Anyone who
processes personal information must comply with eight principles of the
Data Protection Act, which make sure that personal information is:
- Fairly and lawfully
processed
- Processed for
limited purposes
- Adequate, relevant
and not excessive
- Accurate and up to
date
- Not kept for longer
than is necessary
- Processed in line
with your rights
- Secure
- Not transferred to other
countries without adequate protection
- Civil Monetary Penalties
(CMPs) are subject to a right of appeal to the (First-tier Tribunal)
General Regulatory Chamber against the imposition of the monetary
penalty and/or the amount of the penalty specified in the monetary
penalty notice.
- Any monetary
penalty is paid into the Treasury’s Consolidated Fund and is not kept
by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
About the AuthorThe Information Commissioner’s Office is the UK’s
independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public
interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for
individuals. We do this by promoting good practice, ruling on
complaints, providing information to individuals and organisations and
taking appropriate action when the law is broken.
The ICO enforces and oversees the following
legislation:
- Data Protection Act 1998
- Freedom of Information Act 2000
- Privacy and Electronic Communications
Regulations
2003
- Environmental Information Regulations
2004
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Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2014-11-05 12:58:02 in Computer Articles All ICO Articles
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