Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

Debt collection agency data breaches

Being in debt is not usually something people are comfortable with others knowing. It can be a difficult situation that some people are powerless to stop. Sometimes things just don’t go our way and we’re left in a hole with no obvious way out.

When debts aren’t settled, debt collectors are usually never far behind. However, although it’s their job to recover money, the business of debt collection must be conducted in accordance with the law. It must be done in a professional manner which includes respecting someone’s personal information and data privacy rights.
read more

By Author

“We Heart It” website suffers data breach reportedly affecting eight million accounts

Popular image-sharing site, We Heart It, disclosed a data breach where eight million accounts have reportedly had their emails and passwords stolen.

Although only recently discovered, the breach is reported to have happened five years ago for accounts created between 2008 and November 2013.

Email addresses, usernames and encrypted passwords are thought to have been compromised. The company also admitted that, although encrypted, the passwords were unfortunately not secured.
read more

By Author

How should an organisation prepare for a data breach?

It’s now 2018. To many of us the internet is so important in our day-to-day lives it’s on the same level as eating and drinking. In just a few decades, we’ve gone from a screeching dial-up connection to super-fast Wi-Fi broadband (though not always quite fast enough) to meet with our ever-increasing online demands.

Technology is still developing at an alarming rate to allow us to do almost anything efficiently, accurately and even remotely. However, that isn’t to say that these technological advancments are perfect. Whilst we encourage new technology to allow us to make video calls with our grandparents half way across the globe and to send money with a swipe of our phones, cybersecurity is still lagging behind.
read more

By Author

2017 has seen over 7 billion records breached!

Yes, that’s billion with a B…

With the eye-watering number of records breached, the amount of breach victims out there is staggering. On top of that, the 7 billion figure is not even for the entire year; just the first three quarters!

Security firm, Risk Based Security, released a study over 3,833 publicly-disclosed breaches and found that 78.5% of the total number of records exposed stem from only five individual breaches. Big data breaches can seriously harm our commerce, and this figure is yet another reminder about the importance of cybersecurity.
read more

By Author

What are the risks of data theft?

With big data comes big risks…

This is even more the case in today’s growing digital era. Any company or organisation can be at risk of data theft if they’re not careful. That’s why cybersecurity is crucial to ensure that any risk of data theft is kept at a minimum. It’s not just about working hard to prevent cyber-theft, but it’s about working smart to stay one step ahead of the game.

The risks are huge.
read more

By Author

Equifax takes financial hit following data breach scandal

Just like other companies who have suffered a publicised data breach, Equifax’s finances have reportedly taken a hit.

The credit-reporting agency enjoyed share prices at $146.26 in August 2017, but as soon as the breach was made public, the shares reportedly plummeted to just $92.98 in the following month.

Low third-quarter profits may reflect trust issues in the firm after Equifax suffered a data breach that exposed the sensitive information of over 145 million people, including thousands here in the U.K.

Our Data Leak Team are already acting for U.K. victims.
read more

By Author

Police data breaches compensation claims

So, what happens when the Police are the ones who break the law and potentially cause harm to us?

Whenever there is trouble, the police are the first people we think of to call for help. They’re here to keep us safe, and we’re all very grateful for the work they do. They come to our aid when we need them. They put their lives and bodies on the line to keep the public safe. They put dangerous criminals behind bars to protect us.

Unfortunately, however, they have been known to breach our trust by leaking personal sensitive information…
read more

By Author

ICO study deems website privacy notices are too vague and inadequate

National statistics suggest that 87.9% of all adults in the U.K. use the internet. With some 45.9 million internet users, almost all Britons have access to the internet at work or for leisure.

Most of us carry a smartphone or an internet-connected device and are regularly checking the news, making purchases, watching videos, or logged in to social media. In one day, we may have visited over 20 sites, and the question is: how many of these take information about you and use it without your knowledge or consent? How many websites are truly safe?
read more

By Author

The “Fog of War” in cyberspace

Three computer scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory once likened the fight for cybersecurity to the “Fog of War”. This is a term used in uncertain situations by participants in military operations.

Off the back of this, they put forward a new form of data security dubbed “cyberfog”. In comparison to physical military operations, cybercrime can be hard to monitor and detect – who is the enemy? What tools are at their disposal? What are their finances and strengths?

Such uncertainties can make the fight against cybercrime so much harder, so making data harder to hack is always a solid step forward, and that’s essentially what “cyberfog” is intending to do.
read more

By Author

Charity worker prosecuted for sending confidential information about vulnerable people to himself

Robert Morrisey was prosecuted by Preston Crown Court for sending confidential information about 183 people to his personal computer.

At the time of the breach, Morrisey was working as a mentoring co-ordinator for Rochdale connections Trust charity.

In copying the sensitive information without permission or the knowledge of his employer, Morrisey lost his job. He also lost his position as a Magistrate and was ordered to pay over £1,800.00.
read more

By Author