The government has revealed that
data security breaches at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have
significantly increased since the department lost the
personal details of 25 million people on two computer disks
last year.
Despite pledges to tighten up security after the data disk loss
last October, HMRC has seen ten breaches a day since the loss.
This compares to eight losses per day the previous year,
reports The London Evening Standard.
The data breaches include
lost computers and mobile phones that contain details on the
tax-paying public.
The figures, revealed in answers to parliamentary questions,
show that since October 2007, there have been 1,993 security
breaches in total.
At that rate, says the London Evening Standard, more than 2,700
breaches can be expected by this October - a rise of 28%.
The government said the increase in data breach incidents coming
to light at HMRC was a result of a greater awareness of data breach
threats and the wider reporting of problems by staff.
Average cost of UK company data breach is £1.4m, says Ponemon
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