As investigations into the Police Federation of England and Wales cyber attack continue, we’ve taken cases forward on a No Win, No Fee basis.
The investigations into the two malware attacks that hit the PFEW on 9th March and 21st March 2019 are underway, and we’ve agreed to take claims forward. Our legal team who are fighting for justice in dozens of data breach group actions have been contacted for help. As with the other group and multi-party actions we’re running, we have offered No Win, No Fee compensation representation.
It’s understood that the data for some 120,000 police employees may have been exposed in the incident. At this stage, information exposure or theft cannot be ruled out.
About the Police Federation of England and Wales cyber attack incidents
There were two Police Federation of England and Wales cyber attack incidents. The first took place on 9th March 2019, and the second on 21st March 2019. These were understood to be malware attacks and were not specifically targeting PFEW systems and were a part of a wider operation.
PFEW has said that they don’t believe any information has been exposed but they cannot rule it out. It may be that we’ll never know, but with data about police employees often being personal and sensitive, any information exposure could be serious. That’s why we’ve agreed to take forward claims for data breach compensation for anyone who is distressed due to the incident.
You can read more about the incident here.
Latest in the Police Federation of England and Wales cyber attack investigations
Investigations are reportedly underway following the two Police Federation of England and Wales cyber attack incidents that took place in March 2019.
The UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and the National Crime Agency (NCA) are looking into the incidents.
In a statement from the NCA, they said:
“The National Crime Agency is leading an investigation and broader law enforcement response into the cyber incident affecting the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW).
Our investigations into these types of incidents are often complex and can take some time before full details are established. As our enquires are ongoing, we cannot comment further at this time”.
The ICO has the power to fine organisations millions of pounds if they’re found in breach of GDPR. In cases of cyber attacks, fines can be issued if the organisation that has been hit has been found to have failed to properly look after the data they hold.
With some 120,000 employees potentially affected, a fine could be substantial if it’s found that PFEW could have done more to have prevented any potential information exposure from taking place.