Feature
Cyber Security in the Housing Sector By Carola Mittag
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n view of the recent, countrywide ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS outage, this article addresses a business’ reliance on crucial network services and some of the vulnerabilities they are exposed to. While this case originated internally it could also have been a terrorist cyber attack. The housing sector has not been exempt from the rise in cyber attacks over the past few years. This is especially the case as many housing providers have aimed to improve their adoption of digital services to account for the increasingly digital footprint of today’s society. Unfortunately, as digital delivery of services increases, so does the increase in impact that cyber-attacks can have in this sector. The number of ransomware attacks committed against the housing sector have increased. Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to prevent user access to a computer system until a ransom payment is made.
data. The sector already has a healthy plaintiff legal community, and a data breach arising out of a cyber-attack can expose organisations to significant legal cost exposure from claims. In addition, housing providers may also be exposed through their supply chain and third-party partners. Housing providers use third parties to provide services; e.g., housing repairs. Should the third party be hacked, there is a risk that the housing provider will be held responsible. Even if a ransomware attack does not involve a data confidentiality breach, the operational impact to services can be long-lasting. The delivery of housing services rely upon a wide range of public and private sector partners and if there is disruption in the network, that can bring gridlock to critical services, e.g.
new applications to join the housing waiting list, repair reporting, updating register records, rent and service charge payments. There are examples of such services being interrupted for months as a result of cyber-attacks. It is important that housing providers seek assurance that their IT security function is safe and secure, and that security vulnerabilities are appropriately lessened. Overall, the severe and long-lasting consequences of a housing provider falling victim to a cyber-attack highlight the importance of cyber security in the sector. As cyber threats grow in volume and sophistication, and technology becomes essential for meeting the needs of your tenants, staff, suppliers and society, your cyber security must build resilience and trust. u
Unfortunately, ransomware attacks have been commonly accompanied by data exfiltration and a threat to publish personal data if the ransom is not paid. Data breach is an increased threat to organisations who have a duty of care to tenants and staff. The threat of data publication can be especially impactful for organisations such as housing associations who commonly hold both personal and special category personal
IHM News • Summer 2022
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