Data breaches the challenges of the new industrial revolution

Data breaches are the industrial incidents of the Information Age and we need to find ways of eradicating them completely. Rogue elements will pursue data to enrich themselves, placing the jobs and livelihoods of decent citizens at risk.
The DMASA (Direct Marketing Association of SA) exists to ensure we stay vigilant and educate businesses and individuals about potential data breaches Watertight policies, processes and procedures help ensure error-prone human beings, or those with ill intent, are not given the space to derail our vibrant industry, says DMASA CEO David Dickens.

One of the DMASA’s members, Experian South Africa, recently experienced a data breach after a hacker posed as a legitimate client to gain access to the personal information of millions of South Africans. The credit bureau said identity numbers and residential addresses were amongst the information compromised by the now identified hacker. Experian reported the incident to the Information Regulator and took the corrective protocols as laid out by POPIA (The Protection of Personal Information Act).

It is reassuring that Experian acted with such haste in reporting the incident to the Information Regulator and offered citizens information on who was affected and how to best respond to the vulnerabilities to which they may have been exposed.

The DMASA’s interventions such as the Data Protection Compliance Programme (DPCP) offer members tools to stay on the right side of the POPI Act and include online risk assessments and training opportunities to boost knowledge transfer within the direct and integrated marketing (IDM) sector.

These resources and others have been years in development and have helped the DMASA’s 300-plus members. We urge our sector to educate their staff as there will be elements that will physically try to bypass the best software.

It’s more than just complacency that is the enemy of the safe storage of personal information. We urge everyone involved in the storage of personal information to use this latest reminder of the dangers posed by cybercriminals to regularly implement additional measures to safeguard data,” concludes Dickens.

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