Mortgage Brain issued a caution to mortgage brokers regarding security, coinciding with its achievement of ISO 27001 accreditation, the internationally recognised standard for information security management.
The technology provider also recommended that mortgage brokers enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to ensure safety.
ISO 27001 sets the global benchmark for managing information security and cyber risk. It requires firms to embed security across their people, processes and technology and to be independently audited to ensure data is confidential, accurate and available when needed.
Mortgage Brain said working towards the accreditation was a company-wide effort and ran alongside the development of its product suite.
It said it treated data security as a priority, with controls and practices implemented across the business. Mortgage Brain added that achieving ISO 27001 recognised this effort.
Click here to view our Sponsored Content Hub
For brokers, the accreditation ensures that client data is protected, security is embedded into Mortgage Brain’s daily operations, and it operates to high, globally recognised standards.
Mortgage Brain noted that brokers handled increasing volumes of sensitive personal and financial information, which was open to risks such as phishing, ransomware, human error and third-party exposure.
It said data security should be a priority for all firms, including brokers, mortgage lenders and technology providers.
Mortgage Brain recommended that brokers use MFA everywhere possible, never reuse passwords across systems, do not email sensitive documents and avoid pasting client data into consumer AI tools.
It warned: “If you wouldn’t want it public, don’t put it into AI.”
Cloë Atkinson (pictured), chief operating officer of Mortgage Brain, said: “ISO 27001 accreditation shows that we are serious about data. With cases of cybersecurity on the rise, protecting data is business-critical.
“Brokers can trust that Mortgage Brain is doing everything possible to handle their data, and that of their clients, as safely as possible, and we have been independently audited against best-in-class security standards to prove it. But this isn’t enough. Brokers also need to make data security non-negotiable. Just a few simple steps, such as using AI tools with common sense and not reusing passwords, can make a big difference.”
