Failure by New Zealand Data Centers to submit to independent international cloud security auditing means Kiwis are more vulnerable than ever to cyber attacks.

That is according to Lume managing director Richard Cheeseman, who says the growing number of attacks against New Zealand web sites and servers have a better chance of being averted if Data Centers moved away from self-regulation to more rigorous international standards.

“SSAE 16 audits, Cloud Security Alliance self-audits and ISO 27001 certification are some ways that a Data Center’s security controls can be strengthened through proper auditing, preferably by an independent body, instead of getting on with it themselves and declaring themselves secure without any visibility to their customers on how this is achieved," he says.

Believing commercial hackers aren’t necessarily interested in making their presence known or with ‘taking down’ sites, Cheeseman continued:

“They want the personal data – your personal data – for use by organised crime, including credit card numbers.

“There was a time when hackers went after the big fish internationally, but with so much more content and information available now, even the smaller New Zealand targets have become attractive.

“The introduction of super fast broadband makes the hackers’ job a lot easier too.”

He said New Zealand companies and everyday users should also take steps to ensure their software is updated.

“Patches coming through from companies such as Microsoft are there to repair known vulnerabilities.

"You can keep yourself more secure by keeping up to date."

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