The man once dubbed Britain’s ‘greatest fraudster’ – who stole £30 million in six years – has warned Derby firms that the biggest threat to online security is ourselves.
Former hacker Tony Sales made his comments at the recent launch of a brand new product devised by Derby IT solutions firm RDS Global.
Mr Sales, who at one time was one of the country’s most wanted men as he ripped off stores and websites after buying shoppers’ personal data from hackers, was a guest speaker at the launch of RDS Black Box.
Mr Sales, who after a stretch in prison is now on the right side of the law and today helps police and organisations around the world protect themselves against cyber crime, addressed an audience of 120 businesspeople at the launch event at Derby’s QUAD.
The 45-year-old, who now fronts We Fight Fraud, a collaboration between leading fraud and financial crime prevention specialists, said that the 2017 data breach of US firm Equifax, one of the biggest in history, made it clear that data was “available for sale on the internet”.
And he added: “I know from that data I could take your house with that information.”
He continued: “99.9% of websites are now hacked and people don’t understand this. 1.3 billion people had their information stolen in 2016.
“I want people to understand how important data is - and that we are the weakest link.”
Mr Sales was invited to speak at the event by RDS Global to celebrate the launch of its RDS Black Box technology, which has cost £1 million to develop.
The new software connects and integrates data to deliver a real-time dashboard. It is capable of connecting different systems and controllers, and porting multiple data feeds into one place.
It is thought that the new innovative management information system will allow for the consolidation of data, allowing businesses to use it for their strategic advantage.
William Taafe, director at RDS Big Data Solutions, said: “$700 billion is spent globally connecting systems together.
“RDS’s Black Box connects internal systems and is made to companies’ requirements to give full control. Black Box pulls in data from all input to create something meaningful.”
RDS’s chief executive Andrew Flinn said: “At RDS Global, we are passionate about technology and want businesses to embrace the ever-evolving industry as well as use it to their advantage.
“We are excited to officially launch the RDS Black Box as it will drive positive change and efficiency in business.”
