Flight Centre Mistakenly Shared Customers’ Passport Details With Third Parties

Flight Centre has mistakenly shared customers’ passport details with third parties. Richard Anstey, CTO EMEA at Synchronoss commented below.

Richard Anstey, CTO EMEA at Synchronoss:

“Malicious hacking attacks like Petya and Wannacry cause regular headlines, but in reality mistakes like this from Flight Centre are still the mainstay of data leaks. Accidental data loss is common and can have a huge impact, especially when it concerns sensitive personal data like this. But all too often leaks like this go unreported, leaving some businesses unware of the danger.

“There are a number of ways organisations, can respond to an incident like this. Firstly, they can try to minimise human error altogether through training, procedures and protocols. This action is often taken by companies following an accidental data leak. But training alone isn’t enough as humans will always be prone to error.

“It is more effective to combine the “human route” with technology that enables companies to cope with accidental errors more efficiently. There are now ways in which companies can instantly revoke access to shared documents at the push of a button – or “unshare” files. This gives more control back to organisations when the inevitable occurs, as employees are always sharing confidential data with third parties.

“Eliminating human error is a huge ask. However, there are ways in which companies handling extremely sensitive data such as passport information can control what information is shared, and who sees it. This latest leak from Flight Centre should serve as a warning to other businesses and organisations to tighten up technology controls in an attempt to control human error.”