A screenshot of UKFast's page that features a new security report
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- UK Web hosting provider UKFast (http://www.ukfast.co.uk/) announced on Friday it has released a new security report that shows how credit card details are as openly available, leaving consumers open to fraud and businesses at risk of costly legal action.
In a recent study titled "Data Security – Protecting Your Profits", UKFast found that relatively simple Google searches reveal personal indentification details.
One of the many databases found through a Google search by UKFast's security experts found 1,800 valid credit card details processed by an American takeaway, along with names, expiry dates and csc codes.
The information is so specific it even provides the distance from the card owners' homes to the takeaway, said UKFast.
"Criminals are not just selling single card details; they are selling whole identities online, it is a big business right now," said Lawrence Jones, managing director of UKFast. "Businesses are unaware that in risking customer data they may also be breaking the law. Storing confidential information unencrypted, hosting with a foreign provider or hosting with cloud services without knowing where data is stored or how securely it is stored can all contravene the Data Protection Act."
Jones suggests businesses are putting themselves and their customers at risk by not properly protecting data.
UKFast makes it a point to use these findings as an opportunity to highlight the fact that its own security division monitors security and regularly performs penetration tests that simulate hack attacks on servers for the purpose of finding any weaknesses and improve on these areas.
Personal details including date of birth, mother's maiden name, workplace and marital status can all be found through Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter profiles.
Hackers can use these sites to fill gaps in information and steal whole identities for malicious purpose.
UKFast IT director Neil Lathwood said that since Google is able to effectively index information, any indexable back-up files that are stored on the server can still be found through Google by anyone.
"One of the best ways to test security is to hack your own site and search for the confidential data, this highlights areas you can strengthen to protect customer data," Lathwood said. "The key is not to have your back up files stored unencrypted and live on the server – this is the most common security failure that I see, and to be honest, it is just lazy. Along with this companies need to check their servers have the best protection possible."
UKFast's "Data Security – Protecting Your Profits" report can be downloaded here.
Article Source http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/072211_UK_Web_Host_UKFast_Report_Finds_Credit_Card_Information_Via_Google_Search permits to republish here.
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