Tag: data breach
Worrying Nuneaton and Bedworth Council data breach
Posted by Matthew on March 19, 2019 in the following categories: Council Data Employee Data Breach ICO Latest and tagged with council | council data breaches | data breach | data controllers | employee breaches
There has been a prosecution for a worrying Nuneaton and Bedworth Council data breach that’s an example of how employees can exploit the data they can access.
In this incident, former head of building control at the council, Kevin Bunsell, shared personal information about job applications with his partner. His partner had applied for the same job that the candidates whose data was shared had applied for, and she won the position.
Although we can only speculate as to the motives, we can assume that the reasons for sharing the data were to assist his partner in securing the position which she was eventually awarded.
Will we see a Marriott GDPR fine?
Posted by Matthew on March 18, 2019 in the following categories: Claims Cybersecurity GDPR Group Action and tagged with compensation | cyber attack | data breach | gdpr | Group Action
We may see a Marriott GDPR fine applied after the monumental breach that was discovered last year, given the volume of people affected and the nature of the breach.
As many as 500 million people were affected, with data said to have been compromised between 2014 and 2018. An unauthorised third-party is said to have accessed the guest reservation table fore the Startword division of the company. Data exposed in the breach included a lot of personal and account data.
The breach lapses over GDPR coming into force in May 2018. That means that the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) could issue a fine that equates to 4% of the Marriott’s global annual turnover.
Dangers of the Quora data breach
Posted by Matthew on March 14, 2019 in the following categories: Cybersecurity Group Action Hacking News Scammers Security Social Networking and tagged with cyber attack | cyber crime | cyber snooping | cybersecurity | data breach | online security | personal data
The dangers of the Quora data breach cannot be understated, especially when the incident reportedly affected up to 100m users!
Just yesterday we wrote about the issue of reusing passwords and user credentials across multiple sites. Doing so can put you at far greater risks than you may even realise. One of the key things it means is that your credentials breached in an attack could be used to break into other platforms you use. Facebook is a prime example with billions of users and a feature that lets you log into other platforms using your Facebook credentials.
On that basis, the dangers of an incident like this Quora one simply cannot be understated.
The risks of reusing passwords
Posted by Matthew on March 13, 2019 in the following categories: Cybersecurity Data Info Scammers Security Social Networking and tagged with cyber attack | cyber crime | cybersecurity | data breach | online security | personal data
Thousands of people have contacted us for help with data breach claims. Victims can be entitled to make a claim for compensation. The risks of reusing passwords is one of the first things people may need to consider.
The advice is to never reuse the same passwords and user credentials across different platforms. Despite this, people still do it. It means that being the victim of one simple breach could lead to several accounts being accessed. In fact, it could even mean those credentials are used to hack into a business you are employed with.
There’s a great deal that many people may not consider when it comes to reusing passwords and usernames. The mindset needs to change!
NHS fax data breach issue uncovered
Posted by Matthew on March 11, 2019 in the following categories: Data Healthcare Info Latest Security and tagged with data breach | data controllers | data leak | medical data breach | medical records | nhs
An issue that has led to a number of NHS fax data breach incidents has been reported, after mix-ups with a similar fax number has led to information going astray.
NHS data breach compensation cases are some of the more common types of claims our expert team help people with. A lot of the data breaches are caused by such simple errors that can be easily avoided. Despite this, they happen way too frequently.
The news of the fax mix ups is another example of this and comes to light after the accidental recipients of the data contacted NHS England about the incidents.
About the NHS fax data breach issues
The NHS fax data breach issue reportedly stems from GP surgeries and pharmacies accidentally sending data to the wrong number. The number they have been sending information to in some cases belongs to a hotel group who has then been receiving the faxes incorrectly.
Some of the data that has been sent to the wrong fax number includes medication requests, certificates and dispensing vouchers.
It’s understood that the fax number for the hotel group is similar to the ones used to send information within the healthcare system. The hotel group has notified the Corporate Information Governance Team for NHS England.
What’s being done about the NHS fax data breach issue?
As a result of these NHS fax data breach issues, NHS England has reportedly reminded GP surgeries and pharmacies about the importance of checking numbers. As some have recently called for a move away from faxes and pagers within the NHS, it’s claimed that this fax system is apparently the only way of sending this data within the healthcare system.
It sounds like something needs to change.
Any medical data breach can cause a huge amount of distress to the victims. When we see these simple errors over incredibly personal and sensitive data, it’s clear to us that more needs to be done.
As a firm of lawyers who specialise in data leak cases, we know how bad a breach can be for the victim. It’s important for these simple and avoidable data breaches are stamped out.
Warnings after Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council data breach
Posted by Matthew on March 06, 2019 in the following categories: Council Data and tagged with council | council data breaches | data breach | email leaks | personal data
Warnings have been issued over a 2017 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council data breach incident that was said to have been particularly sensitive.
The warnings have come from both the authority itself as well as the UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The incident took place before the introduction of last year’s vital GDPR. The incident still amounted to a serious data protection breach and could have led to criminal prosecutions and huge fines faced by the council.
U-turn in Worcester GP data breach case
Posted by Matthew on March 01, 2019 in the following categories: Cybersecurity Data Healthcare ICO Latest and tagged with data breach | data controllers | gp data breach | medical data breach | nhs | personal data
NHS England has ruled in an investigation into a Worcester GP data breach after previous findings suggested that the law had not been broken.
In this unusual case, the Severn Valley Medical Practice reportedly posted information online about a patient. Initially, the Practice is understood to have disputed that any data protection breach had occurred. Since then, NHS England and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) both agree that the incident was a failure to comply with data protection obligations.
Another element that makes this case unusual is about allegations made surrounding the Data Protection Officer (DPO) who reportedly claimed there wasn’t a breach in the first place.
Equifax lawsuit in the UK
Posted by Matthew on February 22, 2019 in the following categories: Claims Equifax Data Breach Group Action and tagged with data breach | equifax | Group Action
If you’ve yet to join the Equifax lawsuit in the UK that we’re pursuing on behalf of a number of victims, there’s still time to claim.
We started our action for justice against Equifax back in 2017 when news of the massive breach hit the headlines. Since then, we’ve been taking cases forward on a No Win, No Fee basis.
We’re keeping our clients duly updated. Although we can’t go into too much detail about where we’re at with the action for non-clients, we can tell you about a few developments in the fight for justice here and across the world.
Do people claim data breach compensation?
Posted by Matthew on February 20, 2019 in the following categories: Claims Cybersecurity Data Security and tagged with compensation | cybersecurity | data breach | personal data
OK, so do people claim data breach compensation? With many people not fully aware of their rights to justice, this can be a common question.
The answer is yes. We can tell you because we’re involved in over 20 different data breach group actions. On top of that, thousands have come to us for help over the years we’ve been representing victims claim data breach compensation. And thousands of pounds have been recovered for the people we help.
With more and more data suggesting that many consumers now look at an organisation’s history in terms of data breaches, it’s time for victims of incidents to know their rights for justice as well.
Human error blamed for Ceredigion council data leak
Posted by Matthew on February 13, 2019 in the following categories: Council Latest Technology and tagged with council | council data breaches | data breach | medical data breach
Human error has been blamed for the Ceredigion council data leak that was discovered last year. Personal and sensitive information had been accidentally uploaded to the council’s website in error.
The matter was reported to the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) who could still issue a GDPR fine. However, for the victims, justice can be achieved by a separate legal case they’d be entitled to launch.
Human error remains one of the top causes for data breach incidents in the UK. Council data breach compensation claims are also one of the more common types of cases we deal with as well. We’re therefore not surprised to hear that the Ceredigion council data leak fits into this category.