Author: Matthew
Data for sale online
In today’s digital age, we give out so much of our personal information to third parties, whether it’s an online fashion store or a delivery giant, that many undervalue the risks of data disclosure. While entrusting your data to a third party should not be unsafe in any way, the dangers that can arise if that third party has poor cybersecurity and falls victim to a hack, following which the cybercriminals may put up the data for sale online, can be serious.
Even the smallest amount of information can be a powerful weapon in the arsenal of criminals. They can use this valuable resource for themselves or sell it on for profit, thus exposing the data to wider misuse.
The risks of data sale should never be underestimated, a fact that we are keen to highlight in our work as leading data protection lawyers. We advocate data breach victims who want to stand up for their right to proper data protection, so contact us to find out if you could be eligible for a compensation claim.
The Financial Conduct Authority data breach- one year on
In February last year, the Financial Conduct Authority data breach hit the news after the regulator was forced to admit that it had inadvertently exposed confidential consumer information.
The breach represented a humiliating blunder for the FCA, a government watchdog that regulates the UK financial services sector.
Indeed, as an authority that frequently investigates the security and data handling of other organisations, there was an embarrassing irony to the incident for the FCA. Although the data breach took place a year ago, any affected victims may still be eligible to claim compensation. We are still taking on claims, so contact us for advice about your potential claim.
Claims for the Robert Dyas data breach
In April last year, we began taking on cases for victims affected by the Robert Dyas data breach, which resulted in the exposure of affected customers’ personal and financial information.
Affected victims have been contacted in relation to the breach, and we want to remind anyone who has yet to claim that they may be entitled to receive compensation for the harm caused.
The hack affecting hardware retail company Robert Dyas occurred around the time its stores were closed in response to the first UK lockdown, when customers began turning to online sales. It seems that the cybercriminals involved were keen to capitalise on the increased traffic to the online store, during a period in which Robert Dyas had to limit transactions to £50 as a result of the overwhelming influx of purchases.
Human error GDPR breach – legal advice
A huge volume of data breaches in recent years were caused by human error, and the frequency with which such breaches happen does not seem to be lessening. A human error GDPR breach can be no less serious than a mass cyberattack. In fact, it can be due to the mistake or overall negligence of employees that data hacks are allowed to occur in the first place.
In either scenario, vast amounts of information can end up being exposed.
It is simply unacceptable that failing to carry out basic data protection procedures is still a primary culprit of data leaks, even in today’s digital world. Data protection guidelines have been enshrined in law for many years now, and the GDPR should have further moved organsations to repair any holes in their defences, yet human error continues to provoke data breaches. Anyone who has fallen victim to such a data breach may be eligible to claim compensation for any damage caused to them, so contact us if you would like to be advised on your right to claim.
Watford Community Housing email leak
Just over one year has passed since the Watford Community Housing email leak, in which thousands of tenants’ personal information was exposed. The data was leaked as a result of an email sent on 23rd March 2020, to which a spreadsheet containing a list of all 3,545 tenants was accidentally attached.
Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – as a leading firm of specialist data compensation lawyers, believe that victims of the email leak have been affected by a significant breach of their right to data protection. This is why we have been taking on compensation claims on behalf of the victims, and we now represent a large group of victims affected by the incident.
If you were also affected by the data breach, it is not too late to start your claim, so contact us to receive advice on your case. It does not matter that the breach was brought about by an accidental email error, as all data breach victims can still be entitled to access justice, regardless of the circumstances. Given the progress of our cases so far, we remain confident in achieving a successful outcome.
Billions of email addresses and passwords leaked in COMB breach
The recent COMB breach is being labelled as the biggest data leak of all time, with billions of email addresses and passwords exposed online.
The pairs of emails and passwords are said to amount to 3.2 billion, meaning a huge proportion of internet users may have been affected.
The COMB breach is damning proof of the cybercrime crisis affecting the world, suggesting that data theft appears to be out of control. Although cybercriminals are developing more sophisticated ways of hacking databases, it is also true that some data controllers are not taking their data protection duties as seriously as they need to be. The monumental COMB breach should be a wake-up call to all companies and organisations that hold and process private information, particularly those which do not have the cybersecurity defences that the law requires of them.
Compensation for identity theft
Identity theft can be one of the most pervasive and harmful effects of data breaches. It can be caused when criminals misuse exposed personal data when they impersonate the person that the information belongs to. This can involve making unauthorised transactions on your accounts, to obtaining genuine identity documents in your name. Victims may be able to claim compensation for identity theft if the underlying cause of a breach is linked to a third-party organisation exposing your information to misuse.
Despite the fact that UK citizens have legal rights to data protection, many third-party data controllers fail to observe their duties to hold and process information securely. Where these failures constitute a breach of the GDPR, we help victims to claim compensation for the exposure of their personal data.
We are happy to advise anyone who has fallen victim to a data breach, so please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your potential claim.
LOQBOX cyberattack – one year on
In early March last year, it was revealed that LOQBOX, a UK financial services company, had been hit by a cyberattack. In the fallout, it emerged that the LOQBOX cyberattack had exposed customer data, so we began early investigations into the circumstances and consequences of the data breach.
Although news of the breach broke over a year ago, those affected still have time to make a compensation claim for any harm that they have suffered. If LOQBOX is found to have endangered customer information due to poor data protection practices, there must be repercussions.
To find out if you might have a claim to make, you can call us today or request a call-back using our online form.
150 competition regulator data breaches
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recently disclosed figures for the data breaches that have affected the UK government regulator. They reportedly revealed that a total of 150 breaches have occurred over the last two years. The competition regulator data breaches are worrying given the CMA’s role in upholding the law, which requires them to handle a large amount of private information, some of which can be sensitive.
The importance of cybersecurity should now be well known to all businesses and organisations, as many can be prime targets for hackers and fraudsters searching for information to misuse. The malicious intent of cybercriminals should give organisations that sense of the importance of data protection. However, it appears that the CMA may not have been able to adopt the caution required of an organisation with such sensitive data handling responsibilities.
Shocking research on pension scheme cybersecurity
Recent information and news coverage has suggested areas of concern when it comes of pension scheme cybersecurity across UK pension policies. There are concerns that not all scheme providers are focusing on cybersecurity as much as they should be, and this is a cause for worry.
As most employers are now legally required to provide pension schemes to their workforce, it is incredibly worrying to think that the details of many of the UK working population may not be sufficiently protected from potential exposure. If pension providers are failing to prevent and prepare for cyberattacks, they could be in breach of data protection obligations.
Although victims can then be eligible to claim data breach compensation, the stress and worry of a breach – and the cost for a business – is something to actively try to avoid.