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UK insurer fined for cyber breach

A British online travel insurer has been fined £175,000 ($344,073) after security failings allowed hackers to access private records.

More than 5000 Staysure.co.uk customers had their credit cards used by fraudsters following the breach.

The hackers potentially had access to 100,000 credit cards, plus customers’ medical details.

Credit card security numbers were also accessible, despite rules that they should not be stored.

There were no procedures to review and update IT security, and an Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) investigation found the company breached the Data Protection Act.

ICO Head of Enforcement Steve Eckersley says the fine should send a clear message.

“It’s unbelievable to think that a company holding 3 million customer records did not have the procedures in place to keep that information secure,” he said.