The trend of hackers successfully targeting big firms and leaking millions of innocent victim’s data is on the rise. We’ve covered lots of breaches and hacks in recent news, and were acting for large numbers of people who have fallen victim to some of the most serious data breaches we have ever experienced here in the UK.
In October 2015 we saw British Gas hit by a significant data breach on the same week that TalkTalk and Marks & Spencer’s were hit, leaving the energy giants having to contact thousands of customers who had been affected.
In what was called an “unexplained leak” more than 2,000 customers had their email addresses and account passwords posted online.
The firm said that the leak was not the result of a cyber attack; in fact, they insisted that it did not come from anyone in the company, and insisted that payment information was not at risk. But is this a comfort or a concern? In the face of what they called an “unexplained leak” how can we feel safe that more sensitive data cannot be leaked? If data can so trivially be leaked without explanation, whose to say what else could be accessed?
The affected accounts were disabled but this will be of little comfort for those affected. It seems that no one can stop the hacks and leaks – in the last year alone, on top of the M&S and TalkTalk leaks, big name victims included: pub chain JD Weatherspoon; infidelity dating website Ashley Madison; and even the US Central Command!
If you are ever the victim of a data leak or data hack, our expert Data Leak Lawyers can help you. Right now we’re acting for victims of data leaks who have had their personal details stolen; their sensitive medical information leaked; confidential information shared and seen by persons who shouldn’t have seen it; and more.
We can help you. The law is clear in terms of liability for data breaches and our expert lawyers and legal team have the right knowledge and experience to help you.