Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

The trends of council and local government breaches

Although we appreciate the hard work of those who work in our councils and local government bodies, data breaches in the public sector remain a big problem. In order to do their jobs, these establishments often need access to a lot of our personal data such as contact details, medical records, criminal records, etc.

We trust them with this information because, after all, they’re a part of the public establishment who are supposed to be there to look after our best interests. But there have been a large number of data breach cases that have left many worried about our data in their hands.
read more

By Author

Out-of-date devices like pagers reportedly a security risk

A report has suggested that employees from industrial environments may be leaking data through their pagers. For those industries still using such technology to communicate with their employees, this is not good news, and the report details how unsecure pager devices really are.

Pagers – wireless telecommunication devices that receive and display messages and voice messages – are practically a thing of the past now, but if they’re still in use, the risks need to be addressed.
read more

By Author

Disqus reveals data breach from half a decade ago

Half a decade late, blog comment company Disqus has reportedly admitted a data breach that saw email addresses and passwords stolen from 17.5 million users.

Disqus, a global company that provides websites like blogs with an extension so users can leave comments on posts, was hit by hackers. The hackers reportedly managed to steal information dated back to 2007, which included usernames with associated email addresses, sign-up dates, lost login dates and hashed passwords.
read more

By Author

Does a company have to report a data breach?

The simple answer is – at the moment – no.

Companies and organisations are responsible for data breaches, but don’t have to report them, although it’s generally deemed as good practice to report a breach. However, they do not always have a legal obligation to report a data breach under the Data Protection Act (DPA), but this is all set to change in 2018 when the EU GDPR comes into force.

So, in the near future, reporting certain breaches will actually be mandatory…
read more

By Author

Reportedly, only 25% of companies can detect data hacks or data leaks

According to some research, as little as 25% of companies have the technology installed to detect hacking and data breaches.

This is a shocking fact, but not at all surprising; and it’s a reminder of how the huge cyber hacks like the TalkTalk one from 2015 ended up happening. They, as many have been in the past, were just too slow to realise a hack had occurred, and by the time they knew, hundreds of thousands of customers had already had their data accessed.

If only a quarter of businesses can detect these hacks, we’re set for a bleak future when it comes to cybersecurity.
read more

By Author

Medical data still the most commonly breached information

Healthcare breaches are common, but it can also be a case of them being more likely to be reported. Whichever way you look at it, something needs to be done about the continually growing trend of medical data breaches.

All those who work in the healthcare sector have a duty to not disclose, mishandle, or misuse a patients’ personal information. In fact, this is the very foundation of a patient / doctor relationship. However, while most people believe their personal information is protected, data breaches by the NHS and the healthcare sector remain far too common.
read more

By Author

The 2016 Tesco bank hack – when banks are breached

It’s a rare thing for a bank to suffer a data breach, but around this time last year people were left fearful after Tesco suffered a massive security breach in their banking branch.

Reportedly, around 40,000 Tesco Bank accounts were affected with money taken from some 20,000 accounts.

At least £2.5 million was stolen in what was deemed as one of the biggest, successful attacks on a bank to have ever occurred, and potentially the very first, large-scale attack where money was directly stolen from a bank.
read more

By Author

Hundreds of popular websites leaking personal data claim experts

Data security studies have revealed that there are literally hundreds of popular websites and mobile applications leaking personal information. Previous studies suggested even the Royal Mail is one such business leaking data, which goes to show the extent of the problem.

Many of the websites and apps researchers say are guilty of leaking data have an international reach, meaning people from all over the world could be victims to these data leaks. Studies so far have been focused on personally identifiable information (PII), which is data that can be directly linked to the owner.

This is worrying.
read more

By Author

When Europol suffered a data breach

A law enforcement agency suffering a data breach is a worrying thought, especially one as big as Europol – but it can and did happen.

Last year, Europol admitted they were subject to a rather shocking data leak when one of their former employees – a former Dutch police officer – breached the agency’s policies by taking home a confidential file that contained extremely sensitive information on multiple terrorist investigations.

A story from 2016 that’s similar to the recent Heathrow USB device found containing all sorts of sensitive security information, it goes to show the worrying reality that even the forces who are there to protect us can fall foul of a data breach.
read more

By Author

Uber “paid off” hackers to keep quiet on a data breach involving 57 million users

Uber has revealed that the company’s database was hacked in October last year, but instead of alerting authorities and warning users about the breach, they instead paid hackers around £75,000 to keep quiet about the hack, and for assurances that the information would be deleted.

Former chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, reportedly made the decision to cover-up the Uber hack, and it was a decision that cost him his job, his deputy’s job, and risked the security of some 56 million people around the world.
read more

By Author