Security firms condemn HMRC for breach

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Other industry leaders suggested the key to securing data sets is managing access.

Gerald Sommariva, data storage specialist and managing director of ONStor UK, said: "By centralising data storage you must look more closely at your security policies. If permission settings are set up correctly, then access can be restricted to key personnel."

That sentiment was shared by Paul Davie, founder of data security firm Secerno. "You look at the way people are accessing that database... and be able to tell the difference between someone downloading for proper purposes or hacking," said Davie, adding that at $20 (£10) a record, there's a big incentive for authorised users to steal thousands of records.

In the end, all these elements and more are essential to keeping people's data private, Symantec's Archdeacon said. "There's no silver bullet," said Archdeacon. "All organisations need to look at this from a risk-based point of view... it's an issue IT managers should be looking at now."

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