The latest cyber security news has revealed that Whitbread, the parent company of Costa Coffee, Premier Inn and other UK chains, has suffered a data breach.
The online recruitment system which the company uses, PageUp, was hacked in June 2018, which left many details of current and prospective employees exposed.
In response to the attack, a spokesman from Whitbread has said that they are “not disclosing the number potentially affected.”
Find out more about this attack and how your business can become protected with Cyber Essentials below.
PageUp Cyber Breach
PageUp has warned that applicants applying for jobs at Costa Coffee, Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater and other UK chains may be affected by the company’s latest cyber breach. The people that have been listed as references on job applications could potentially also be affected.
Data that may have been compromised includes:
- Names
- Genders
- Dates of birth
- Nationalities
- Email addresses
- Physical addresses
- Telephone numbers
- Employment information
Whitbread Apologises
Whitbread employs over 50,000 UK staff across its brands. It has apologised to those who have potentially been affected. In an email sent to those affected, the company notes that they take protecting their employees’ details “very seriously” and that it is “very sorry” about what has happened.
The email also states that the company chooses its “partner organisations very carefully and takes every possible step to ensure your data is always kept secure”.
Taking Cyber Security Seriously
The increase in data breaches involving third-party businesses may encourage larger businesses to look for security weak links in their supply chain.
A recent report by CERT-UK states that “the cyber-security of any one organisation within the chain is potentially only as strong as that of the weakest member of the supply chain.”
If your business is not Cyber Essentials certified, this could be a good place to start. This government-approved certification helps to secure the supply chain as accredited businesses must adopt basic security measures that will help them to protect their business against 80% of cyber attacks.
How do I get Cyber Essentials certified?
Find out more about how to get Cyber Essentials by following the link or download the Cyber Essentials scheme summary for free!
