Earlier this month, cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler uncovered an unsecured database containing over 184 million login credentials. This trove included usernames and passwords for major platforms such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, as well as sensitive data from bank accounts, health services, and government portals. Alarmingly, the database was unencrypted and publicly accessible, making it a “cybercriminal’s dream”.
Closer to home, you can’t fail to have missed M&S’ significant cyberattack, leading to the theft of customer data, including contact details and order histories. The breach disrupted online operations and is projected to cost the company approximately £300 million in lost operating profit. The attack was reportedly executed by the cybercriminal group Scattered Spider, exploiting vulnerabilities in third-party vendor credentials.
Regulatory Crackdown: The ICO’s Escalating Enforcement
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has intensified its enforcement actions in response to such breaches. Last year, it imposed 18 monetary penalties, totalling over £2.7 million, for various data protection violations. Notably, it fined the Police Service of Northern Ireland £750,000 for a security breach described as “the most significant data breach… in the history of UK policing”
Furthermore, the ICO has updated its guidance on calculating fines for data protection infringements, emphasising the seriousness with which it treats non-compliance.
So, what does all this mean?
Ultimately, breaches aren’t going to magically disappear. They are just going to get worse. Cybersecurity has to beef up. And as part of this, there is a role for data management — and particularly, data hygiene.
Why? Because no amount of investment in digital defences will protect you if the foundation is rotten. You can install the best software in the world, but if your data is duplicated, outdated, miscategorised, or accessible to the wrong people, you’re simply building a fortress on sand.
Data hygiene isn’t just about tidy databases or faster mailing speeds (although those are welcome side effects). It’s about reducing your attack surface. When you actively manage your data — cleansing, validating, deduplicating, and purging what you no longer need — you’re reducing the volume of information that can be stolen or misused. You’re also improving compliance posture, proving to the ICO and your customers that you take data governance seriously.
And let’s not forget the people factor. Many breaches happen not through elite hacking, but human error — someone clicking a phishing link, uploading a file to the wrong folder, or sharing login details they shouldn’t have had in the first place. Clean, well-managed data environments reduce confusion and help ensure that only the right people have access to the right information at the right time.
We know that good data hygiene doesn’t just protect reputations — it protects bottom lines. It strengthens marketing performance, sharpens targeting, improves compliance, and, crucially, reduces risk.
Get in touch if you want to find out how we can help!
