Mandatory data breach reporting: Employees continue to be a major contributing factor

Many readers will be aware that the mandatory data breach reporting requirements in Australia have been in operation since February of 2018. In September last year Holman Webb reported on the statistics provided by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner relating to the quarter ending July 2018.

So, how are things looking 18 months into the operation of the mandatory reporting regime?

The statistics show that:

1. There have been over 1,270 notifications;
2. Only 4% arise from systems errors;
3. 36% of breaches arise from human error (including misdirected emails, wrongfully copying in people to emails, paperwork being lost, insecure disposal of personal information and loss of devices on which data is stored);