Data breaches at universities are a serious problem

As a leading firm of data breach compensation experts, we are used to representing people for data breaches at universities on a No Win, No Fee basis.

And with recent research indicating that breaches in the education sector continue to be a serious problem, our work to fight for the justice of the victims continues to be important.

Victims of a university data breach can be eligible to claim compensation for the loss of control of their personal information. Here’s how this can work, as well as coverage of the recent research.

Half of UK universities hit by data breach in 2019

According to security experts Redscan, half of universities in the UK were affected by a data breach in 2019.

It seems that staff training remains a big issue, and this is a known problem across as a huge range of sectors. It really is simple – if you do not have the in-house and/or external cybersecurity experts at your disposal, you are at a serious risk of a data breach. Further, if staff across the board are not trained in how to prevent themselves from committing a data breach or leak, or opening the organisation up to a cyberattack, the risks of it happening can be monumental.

As a leading firm of data breach lawyers, we’re often in the news and the media as a go-to make for journalists. These kinds of issues are one that we are talking about in articles and outlets all the time. Despite the GDPR, and far greater awareness, as well as the clear risks of data breaches highlighted by others who have fallen foul of the law, these simple issues are still causing problems.

There is just too little proactivity, and this needs to change. Data breaches at universities will not stop until more is done to protect the wealth of incredibly personal and sensitive information that education institutions hold.

Compensation for data breaches at universities

It’s important for the victims of data breaches at universities to be able to receive some form of justice for what they have to go through. That’s why the law is on the victims’ side and can allow people to claim compensation for the loss of control of their personal information.

Whether data is exposed or misused, you may have a legal case. You do not have to have suffered an actual financial loss to be able to claim, as you can be eligible to recover damages for just the distress that you suffer.

Data breach compensation amounts are usually determined based on factors including the nature of the information that’s exposed, how much is involved, and how wide the exposure is. With universities holding personal, medical, financial, and domestic information in some cases, the impact for any victim can be substantial.

If we are confident that there is a case to answer, we may be able to offer to represent you for a case on a No Win, No Fee basis.

You can speak to the team today for free and no-obligation advice here.

Blackbaud action and other cases

We have a long and successful history of representing people for data breaches at universities. One of our earlier group and multi-party actions that dates back a few years was for victims of the Greenwich University data leak incident. We also represent individuals for cases as well.

Recently, we have taken forward several cases for victims of the recent Blackbaud data breach. Dozens of universities have been caught up in this breach, and you can read more about this here.

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