Exploit: Accidental sharing
The Cabinet Office: Governmental department responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Risk to Small Business: 2.333 = Severe: The Cabinet Office inadvertently uploaded the home and work addresses of recipients of various New Years’ honors recipients. The honorees included several celebrities and defense personnel, many of whom took to the internet to complain about the shocking privacy blunder. The department received special ridicule because of the government’s work in holding companies accountable for data privacy with GDPR. Although the information was only available for about 90 minutes, anyone could access this sensitive data during that time, and there’s no way to recover that information.
Individual Risk: 2.428 = Severe: The blunder compromised personal data, including names and addresses for many prominent public figures and security personnel. This information could invite unwanted correspondence or security concerns, and those impacted by the breach should make every effort to protect their physical and online security.
Customers Impacted: 1,000
How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business:Accidental data sharing is a common cause for data breaches, but it’s one that companies can account for in both their policy and employee training efforts. In addition, everyone can protect their digital accounts by adopting security best practices like two-factor authentication to ensure that, even if their credentials are accidently shared online, accounts aren’t easily accessible to hackers.
Risk Levels:
1 – 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 – 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 – 3 = Moderate Risk
*The risk score is calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.