Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
Healthcare organisations hold a vast array of different data about their patients, most of which is highly private and sensitive. Confidential medical information should be safeguarded by the principle of doctor-patient confidentiality, as well as by strong data protection measures. Unfortunately, the number of cybercriminals targeting medical data appears to be on the rise around the globe.
With medical information a prime target, it is important that all healthcare organisations ensure that their systems are secure, and that employees abide by strict data protection procedures. However, in too many cases, there appears to be holes in the defences that put patient data at risk.
Any patient that has been made vulnerable to data misuse by the errors of a healthcare organisation may be able to claim compensation for the harm caused. If you think that you may have a claim to make, you can contact us for free, no-obligation advice on your potential compensation claim.
Following a breach of Guntrader.uk, a website that leads in buying and selling of guns in the UK, it is understood that thousands of customers have had their names and addresses exposed. As a result of the Guntrader data breach, those who used the site may have reportedly had their personal information posted to the dark web.
The breach is particularly concerning given the safety risks of making the identities and potential whereabouts of gun owners known to potential criminals. As investigations continue, it is not yet clear how the data theft was allowed to occur. However, if it is found that Guntrader bears responsibility for the information exposure, it could be held liable for a breach of data protection law.
If you have been affected by the Guntrader data breach, we recommend that you come forward to seek legal advice, as there may be grounds for a compensation claim. It is always distressing to learn that your private information could be circulating in the public domain, so it is vital that any responsible parties are held accountable for the harm caused.
In February last year, it was revealed that Redcar and Cleveland Council had fallen prey to a cyber-attack, bringing many of its online resident services to a standstill for a prolonged period of time. Although systems were eventually repaired and services reinstated, the effects of the cyberattack are still being felt now, over a year after the attack, primarily in the huge financial toll it took on the council.
In fact, the government has been set to intervene to help the council with the funding, after millions of pounds were expended on the effort of rebuilding its systems. The prolonged recovery work raises questions about whether Redcar and Cleveland Council’s systems should have been stronger in order to defend against the attack in the first place, and whether the council had an attack response plan in place before they were hit.
This all shows how costly an attack can be, and why it is always so much better to take preventative action instead of an event taking place.
NHS CCTV cameras have reportedly been embroiled in a hack affecting security footage across the globe, after security company Verkada is understood to have been breached by hackers. It is said that live streams for as many as 150,000 Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras may have been viewed by unauthorised users.
Serving organisations include prisons, general businesses, schools and even psychiatric hospitals. The breach of Verkada’s cameras may have exposed the identities of many people working in, living in, or visiting affected institutions.
It is unclear exactly which feeds hackers may have viewed and what they gleaned from the footage, but it is nevertheless worrying to learn that a security firm has been subjected to such a wide-reaching breach. There is currently no evidence that any NHS camera feeds were viewed by hackers, but Verkada lists the NHS as one of its clients on the company website. Hackers have also claimed that they have been able to access the cameras of any of the affected organisations.
Recent coverage has revealed that action taken by bank employees and police prevented some £45m of fraud in 2020, saving customers from the loss of an average of almost £6,000 each. The figure is a testament to the success of the Banking Protocol scheme that encourages banks and the police to work together to protect consumers.
However, the huge £45m sum is also a sign of the scale of fraud in the UK. As leading, specialists in data protection law, we believe that the link between data breaches and fraud is a problem that needs to be addressed. When a third-party organisation fails to protect your personal information, it may be leaked into the hands of cybercriminals, who may attempt to steal from you via various kinds of manipulative scams.
We believe that it is essential that all data controllers are held to account when they fail to observe their legal duties. We have helped thousands of consumers to recover the compensation that they deserve, so we encourage any data breach victims to come forward for free, no-obligation advice on their potential claims.
July 2021: it has been widely reported that British Airways has settled claims for victims of their 2018 data breaches. The airline will likely see the British Airways data breach claim settlement as an opportunity to draw a line under the legal action against them, but the claim process is, in fact, far from over – so don’t worry! Only one subset of the 420,000 victims of the data breach have settled claims, so those who have yet to claim still have a chance to claim with us.
Due to an agreement of confidentiality between the parties involved, the compensation amounts for the British Airways data breach claim settlement have not been disclosed. Our group of claimants still have a chance to potentially receive thousands of pounds in damages as a fair settlement of their claims.
Since the British Airways data breaches occurred in 2018, we have been seeking justice for those affected. We want to ensure our claimants can receive the maximum possible compensation pay-outs, and we continue to fight hard for the victims of the British Airways data breach that we represent.
In June 2018, Ticketmaster revealed that a security incident had affected its website, causing the personal information of customers to be exposed. Discovered on 23rd June, the information was exposed due to the actions of an external hacker, but questions were raised regarding how far the incident had been caused by Ticketmaster’s own alleged negligence. We began taking on claims soon after the breach was announced, and we are now running our Ticketmaster data group action to ensure that those affected can receive the compensation that they deserve.
The breach has potentially demonstrated how insufficient cybersecurity could be responsible for mass information exposure. Thousands of customers had sensitive payment details exposed as a result of what we understand to be a system vulnerability, so we believe that Ticketmaster must answer for what has happened.
If you have been affected by this data breach, you can contact our team to find out if you have a compensation claim to make.
In late February, it was revealed that some customers of energy company Npower had suffered hacks of their accounts via the customer app that affected its users’ private data. The company has not put a number on the victims affected, but it is believed that the attack took place in early February, after which those affected were notified of their involvement. It is currently understood that Npower is not to blame for the hack, with no evidence that the company has breached data protection law. We will outline how the hacks happened in this article. Nevertheless, those with hacked Npower accounts are at immediate risk of fraud, with criminals targeting accounts to try to break into them as opposed to successfully breaking into Npower’s own servers and systems.
As advocates of data security, we believe it is important to highlight the risks Npower app users have been exposed to, even where the company is found to not be at fault for what has happened. Even if you have not been affected by the cyberattack, it still offers a valuable lesson about the risks of data exposure and the actions we can take as individuals to protect our personal data, and how criminals can target accounts to break into them.
In May last year, the news of the EasyJet cyberattack hit the headlines when the airline publicly admitted that the data of nine million customers had been hacked. Although the attack was first identified as early as January, some customers did not hear about their involvement in the breach until May.
Now, just over a year since the news of the incident broke, we continue to take on claims for those affected by the cyberattack. If easyJet is found to responsible for the exposure of their customers’ data, the company could be liable to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation to the victims.
As a leading firm of data breach and consumer actions lawyers, Your Lawyers- The Data Leak Lawyers – is leading a number of high-profile group actions against large companies, including travel companies like Marriott and British Airways. We have been representing clients for privacy matters since 2014, so we have the expertise needed to bring your data breach claim to fruition. Anyone affected by the easyJet cyberattack can contact us today to start their claim.
In May last year, we began to be contacted by victims in relation to the 118 118 Money data breach. Affected customers received a data breach notification letter telling them that their data had been subjected to unauthorised access. We judged that victims may have a case for a data breach compensation claim, and we are still taking claims on if you wish to seek justice for the exposure of your private data.
As leading, specialist data breach compensation lawyers, we believe that everyone should be able to access justice in relation to privacy matters. By giving a voice to data breach victims, we hope to bring them the compensation they deserve, and we are also determined to make companies face up to their data protection responsibilities.
EasyJet admits data of nine million hacked
British Airways data breach: How to claim up to £6,000 compensation
Are you owed £5,000 for the Virgin Media data breach?
Virgin Media faces £4.5 BILLION in compensation payouts
BA customers given final deadline to claim compensation for data breach
Shoppers slam Morrisons after loyalty points stolen
Half a million customers can sue BA over huge data breach
Lawyers accuse BA of 'swerving responsibility' for data breach
The biggest data breaches of 2020
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