How confidential shredding can help prevent cyber attacks
National security, government departments and large corporations – they have all recently come into focus with news of hacks into their systems along with the UK government announcing in the latest Defence Review that cyber-attacks against nations are now one of the biggest three threats to global stability which is a sobering thought.
On another level, cyber space has been busier than ever over the past year as businesses scrambled to set up remote working in 2020. Many employees had to rely on their home broadband, meaning there were greater opportunities for the dangers of hackers, malware and phishing to slip through the gaps.
As a result, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been kept busy with the resulting data breaches and threats to the integrity of organisations’ handling of their customers’ and employees’ personal information.
At the height of the initial lockdown in 2020, almost 50% of the working population was working from home based on next to no risk assessment, with some of them using unsecured internet lines and non-GDPR compliant protocols for data sharing and deletion.
More recent stats place the number of us currently working from home at nearer 24% and, despite having a year in which to fine tune systems, across the world February 2021 was one of the worst months ever for cyber attacks, with 2.3 billion records breached*.
While it is important that the main focus should be on protecting the digital universe, it does tend to mean that information in other formats can circumvent the correct processes like storing confidential information on paper.
While it isn’t all bad news - the chances of physical data like print outs and memory sticks being left on trains and buses during the regular commute or on desks and in computers at the office have been greatly decreased, employees working from home or a blend of office and home based who don’t follow data protection protocols to the letter represent a potential gap where risks can occur.
While we know that it can be easy for systems to slip when life is no longer ‘normal’, however it is more important than ever to make sure that security protocols are strengthened and reinforced.**
It is therefore fundamental to take special care of the end-of-life stage of all your business documents. If your employee prints out work documents, how do they handle them? Do they put them in a secure home shredding service sack for disposal at the right time, or does it end up in household recycling or as art paper for the kids?
Keeping your customers’ and employees’ confidential information safe and secure throughout its lifespan is a large responsibility and, because here at Restore Datashred we’re serious about secure, confidential shredding, we work closely with you to make sure we maintain an audited, unbroken chain of custody right through to your receipt of a certificate of destruction that confirms every shred transaction.
All our operations are supported by GPS tracking, security-checked operatives, CCTV and strict entry protocols, as well as state-of-the-art machinery that reduces materials into tiny, unusable fragments within seconds.
All our services – off-site or mobile shredding, on-site shredding, home shredding, recycling and so on – are backed by our accreditations, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001 with additional BS EN15713 shredding standard and BS7858 staff vetting. Our customer service team is friendly, knowledgeable and professional and we are proud that our customers consistently rate us as ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot.
In short, our confidential shredding service is one of the most secure ways to dispose of important documents and will mean you have peace of mind in a period where cyber attacks are on the rise.
Get in touch with one of our friendly, knowledgeable customer service team through our contact form or on 0800 376 4422 to find out how we can help you close ALL the gaps for risk.
(** Human error is to blame for 88% of data breaches in the UK, according to Kroll)