Company Memo: We Can't Protect Consumer Data
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Company Memo: We Can't Protect Consumer Data
To avoid a public-relations nightmare, companies rely on privacy risk assessments and audits and invest in security awareness training sessions for staff. -
Risk Factor
Less than one-third of survey respondents are "very" confident in their enterprise's ability to ensure the privacy of its sensitive data. -
Broken Trust
More than half do not think consumers today should feel confident that enterprises are adequately protecting their personal information (PI). -
Top Negative Consequences of a Privacy Breach
Reputation decline: 80%, Legal action: 62%, Regulatory action: 60%. Unfavorable press coverage: 58% -
Report Card
Two-thirds said the primary metric to measure their company's effectiveness on privacy governance is the number of breaches/incidents experienced, while nearly half cite the number of privacy complaints received from customers/clients. -
Best Practices, Part 1
75% said their organization's use of privacy policies, procedures, standards and other management approaches is mandatory, while 19% indicate this is "recommended." -
Best Practices, Part II
46% said their company will perform a privacy risk assessment to monitor the effectiveness of its privacy program, while about two out of five said their organization will perform a privacy self-assessment and/or undergo a privacy audit. -
Designated Duty
Nine out of 10 said their organization has assigned someone to be accountable for privacy, with the Chief Information Security Officer or Chief Security Officer most likely to oversee this (within 23% of companies). -
School in Session
76% said their company provides privacy awareness training to staff. -
Top Certifications Held by Privacy Management/Staff
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA): 51%, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): 36%, Certified Information Security Manager: (CISM): 34% -
Biggest Barriers to the Establishment of a Privacy Program
Complexities of global legal/regulatory landscape: 49%, Lack of clarity on the mandate, roles and responsibilities: 39%, Absence of a privacy strategy and implementation road map: 37%
The majority of technology, risk and business professionals revealed customers should not feel confident that their personal information is fully secured, according to a recent survey from ISACA. The report, titled "Keeping a Lock on Privacy: How Enterprises Are Managing Their Privacy Function," shows how few survey respondents feel "very" confident in their organization's ability to ensure the privacy of its sensitive data. As a result, they fear their corporate reputation will take a major hit, with the potential for regulatory consequences. To avoid this, companies are turning to privacy risk assessments and audits, while investing in awareness training sessions for staff. "Major privacy breaches of customer data records are becoming common news headlines, shattering the trust of customers who expected the affected enterprises to protect their personal information (PI)," according to the report. "Although these enterprises believed that they had adequate measures in place to secure PI, someone—a hacker who seeks financial gain, a hacktivist who wishes to make a political point, a malicious insider who desires to get revenge for a real or imagined wrong, or a well-meaning but untrained employee who simply makes a mistake—found a way to penetrate their defenses." ISACA is a global non-profit which provides information resources and credentialing/career development opportunities for professionals who are interested in leading, adapting and assuring trust in the digital world. More than 780 global executives and professionals—including compliance/risk officers, security managers and IT audit directors—took part in the research.
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