Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

Verizon finds that one in ten data breaches went undetected last year

After a year filled with data breaches left right and centre, the reports containing breach statistics are enough to make anyone feel uneasy.

The American TV phone and internet provider Verizon instructed their security research division to look into 2,260 breaches reported by various organisations and companies. Having seen data breaches take a centre spotlight in the news throughout 2016, the results don’t surprise us; but they are nonetheless worrying…
read more

By Author

Salaries of 240 staff affected in the 2015 Plymouth University Data Breach resurfaces

There has been a serious breach at Plymouth University which has seen more than 200 staff members’ salaries leaked.

An investigation, undertaken by Plymouth University solicitors, is well under way. It transpires that a confidential spreadsheet noting 240 senior staff members’ salaries was erroneously sent to an incorrect email address in June 2015.
read more

By Author

Starbucks customers are still victims of data breaches two years on from first cyber-hack

More and more purchases are being made through non-traditional methods, like mobile apps. However, concerns remain about the security of these methods as we continue to see data breaches hit the news on an almost daily basis.

Large numbers of Starbucks’ customers have reported their accounts being hacked, which was reportedly from an attack dating back to 2015. Some say they’ve had money tapped from their accounts on the mobile app, and according to USA TODAY, the cyber-hackers used a ‘clever new attack’ without actually hacking Starbucks itself.
read more

By Author

Patients’ medical records still in the spotlight when it comes to data breaches

Healthcare data breaches continue to rise

Whilst an overwhelming amount of data breaches occur due to human error – like sending an email to the wrong recipient, or failing to hide multiple recipients’ identities from each other – ransomware of healthcare records are on a rapid climb.

In a report conducted by the Breach Industry Forecast, patient data is one of the most valuable types of information to cyber criminals. Hospitals and other healthcare organisations usually keep masses of patient data in digital databases, and these are far from secure it seems.
read more

By Author

The WannaCry hacking’s “accidental hero”

The hack against NHS systems and other organisations across the globe last Friday (12^th May 2017) panicked many across the world, and seriously hampered our NHS’ ability to provide lifesaving care.

It has since emerged that one cyber-security expert managed to kill of the ransomware that was hacking into systems across the globe, and it was practically achieved by accident…
read more

By Author

1 in 8 people in England suffer healthcare data breaches

According to recent figures, 1 in 8 people have suffered a healthcare data breach.

This is very worrying as healthcare data can be very private and sensitive information, and it can also be a goldmine for cyber-criminals.

Off the back of Friday’s monumental ransomware attack that hit almost one hundred countries around the world, and brought the NHS to an almost standstill, this is very worrying news.
read more

By Author

Justice is served: Two men plead guilty for TalkTalk cyber attack

On the 22^nd October 2015, telecommunications company TalkTalk suffered a huge cyber-attack. The result was some 157,000 of their customers’ personal details being breached, and this included 16,000 bank details being accessed.

The case has been somewhat concluded now as two men have pleaded guilty to the attack. At the Old Bailey courthouse, Matthew Hanley and Douglas Allsopp pleaded guilty to several offences.
read more

By Author

“Pagers are a huge cause of leaking data” – Out-of-date devices are causing the industrial industry to compromise its security

The ‘Leaking Beeps’ report shines a light on how employees from industrial environments are leaking data through their pagers.

For those industries still using pager technology to communicate with their employees, this may be very bad news to them. The report details how unsecure pagers are, and in this day and age, any cyber security flaw is always a real concern.
read more

By Author

UK charities fined for misusing donors’ private information

11 UK charities have been fined for breaching data protection laws.

11 of the UK’s top charities have been fined for misusing their donors’ (aka individuals who donate) personal information. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have issued fines to the charities for alleged misconduct and breaching the Data Protection act.
read more

By Author

Three’s latest data breach

Three’s recent data breaches have caused a rippling effect for many customers.

The newest of the breaches caused some customers to be without texting and telephone functions on 22^nd April 2017, and also led to some texts going to totally random people rather than the intended recipients.

We have already taken cases on where personal text messages ended up in the inbox of someone totally random, and social media was filled with complaining customers asking for explanations.
read more

By Author