Over the past 5 years, the Dutch Data Protection Authority has received more than 114,000 reports of data leaks, which is about 20,000 on an annual basis. So much data has now been leaked that, according to AP, everyone can assume that their personal data has been leaked somewhere. Or that it will happen sometime in the future. Director Dave Maasland of Cybersecurity company ESET Netherlands calls it a pessimistic message.
‘We are a leader when it comes to data breaches’
According to Maasland, this ‘says something’ about how the Netherlands is doing in the field of cybersecurity. The medical data of almost 1 million patients or clients have been leaked due to the 3 largest cyber attacks at IT suppliers alone. Not only is this apparently only the tip of the iceberg, it is immutable data – a password can be easily changed, a credit card can be modified, but medical data cannot.
Leader
According to Maasland, the Netherlands receives the most data breach reports within Europe. ‘We are the front runner when it comes to data breaches,’ says Maasland, who points to the symptomatic nature of a data breach. For example, processes are not running smoothly or digital hygiene is not in order. Maasland believes that the report sends an important message, especially in this time of geopolitical tensions. How do you respond to a data breach? How do you learn from that?’ is what companies should ask themselves according to Maasland. Companies do too little with it, he thinks.
Never mind the fact that he sees changes happening and that the parties are going to make demands of each other. Anyone who wants to do sustainable digital business must increasingly be able to demonstrate that they have their affairs in order. ‘I don’t rule out that at some point you will go to a kind of credit check system, where you can just check how many reports someone has had.’
