PRESS RELEASE

Data breaches will bring down businesses, warns VIPole

 For Immediate Release -Thursday, 18 August 2016

Last week's data breach announcement from Sage plc highlights the threats that all UK businesses are facing from within, says security specialist VIPole. The firm warns that businesses failing to act to properly secure their data from internal threats are facing a bleak future.

Data loss is a major problem for all organisations, and the associated cost is rising year on year. The direct cost of data loss is often compounded by a secondary cost to businesses as customers rarely stay loyal once they feel their data has been compromised. Moreover, new regulation being introduced in the EU in May 2018 means that companies failing to adopt robust security practices could now also be hit with substantial fines following a data breach. The regulations will apply to any business holding data on EU citizens, irrespective of whether that business is based in the EU or not.

Research published by Intel Security in 2015 showed that 43% of all data breach incidents were attributable to internal threat actors, either through employees gaining unauthorised access to sensitive data or the accidental loss of hardware. On August 11^th 2016, accounting software firm Sage announced that records of some of its UK customers had been subject to unauthorised access via an internal login. In another high-profile incident earlier this year, an employee at TV station UKTV was sacked after reportedly attempting to sell six years' worth of data stolen from Ofcom's market intelligence database, a supposedly tightly guarded resource.

VIPole says that companies must start taking the internal threat much more seriously if they are to avoid both costly data breaches and huge punitive fines. The corporate server version of its Secure Messenger is designed to ensure the full end-to-end encryption, not just of text, video and audio communications, but files, contact lists and passwords. The pseudonymisation and encryption of all data by default is a key requirement of the EU's General Data Protection Regulations, and the VIPole system delivers this transparently and cost-effectively. The system is also equipped with a range of powerful administration tools that enable precise control over who can access data and how they can interact with others, limiting the opportunities for unauthorised access and sharing of information.

VIPole's Christopher Miller commented, "No business is immune from either the threat of data loss or the catastrophic financial consequences of being found guilty of breaching data protection regulations. We've designed the VIPole system to be a scalable solution that is both affordable and effective. The entry-level cloud-based system provides a high degree of data protection, and can be easily upgraded to the on-premise corporate server platform when an organisation is ready to move to a completely standalone system."

VIPole has created a handy guide to how organisations can protect themselves. The guide to the use of end-to-end encryption can be viewed here. 

Notes for editors

VIPole is an international company, with its headquarters in the UK, offering state-of-the-art, high-level encryption solutions for enterprises dealing with commercially or personally sensitive information, and individuals wishing to protect themselves from hackers, identity thieves and malware. A key feature of the system is the unique software design that ensures user data remains encrypted at every stage. Even if hackers or unauthorised personnel gain access to the device or server, user data is impossible to decrypt.

 Launched in 2013, VIPole Secure Messenger now provides encrypted file storage, secure video and audio communications, group chats and collaboration tools to over 500,000 users worldwide, all of whom are protected by the highest level AES-256 and RSA-3072 encryption. VIPole offers a robust solution for financial institutions, medical practices, educational establishments and government offices handling sensitive personal data. VIPole is available as a cloud service, or an on-premise solution. VIPole also offers both free and paid versions of its products for personal use on PC, Mac OS X, Linux, Android and iOS. Full details are available at www.vipole.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Catherine Long
PR Manager

VIPole International LP
Tel:+44 (0) 1157 070057

Email: vipole@ei.do

Adrian Jones
Account Director

Eido PR
Tel:+44(0)207 788 7905

Email:vipole@ei.do