Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.

Tag: database security

April 07, 2021

Midlands News Association data breach exposes journalists’ private information

According to an article from HoldtheFrontPage, the Midlands News Association has recently suffered a data security incident that led to the publication of private details belonging to journalists.

This is understood to have included journalists who were employed by the newspaper as far back as 2011. It is believed that an unauthorised third party was able to access the data, and that they chose to post the stolen information online.

All data controllers have a legal responsibility to ensure that the data disclosed to them is stored and processed securely. If they ever fail to uphold this duty, they can be held to account under the law. If it is found to have breached data protection law, the Midlands News Association could be liable to pay compensation to those affected.  Anyone who has been notified of their involvement in the data breach can contact us to make an enquiry about their potential compensation claim.

read more

By Author
retail cyber attacks
April 06, 2021

Fat Face data breach

In the penultimate week of March, retail chain Fat Face reportedly sent an email to customers notifying them of a breach that had first been identified in mid-January. Reportedly sent to thousands of affected customers, the email revealed that private data had been accessed by an unauthorised user for a limited period of time. It has also been alleged that customers were told to keep the notification of the Fat Face data breach private, and that the company has allegedly paid a ransom to a cybercrime gang.

These claims have yet to be fully verified, but there are still several issues arising out of the Fat Face data breach. The company’s notification to customers appears to be delayed at best, which raises questions about whether Fat Face followed the correct data breach notification procedures. At this stage, we do not know, and we will need to find out.

In any case, the victims whose private information was exposed could now fall victim to data misuse. If it emerges that Fat Face was at fault, victims may be eligible to make compensation claims, and we are already taking claims forward for this incident.

read more

By Author
Amey cyberattack construction
April 05, 2021

The Amey cyberattack- data breaches in the construction sector

Amey has joined the growing list of construction companies affected by hacks, after suffering the blow of a ransomware attack in mid-December last year. The Amey cyberattack reportedly exposed extensive company data, including information relating to employees and business transactions.

With much of the data being dumped on the hacker group’s leak site, the cyberattack has produced a substantial breach of company privacy that could significantly affect the operations of the infrastructure support service provider. As a giant of the industry, the Amey breach will likely raise concerns in the UK construction sector, with other companies worrying if they may be the next target.

read more

By Author
how much the average compensation
April 02, 2021

Data Privacy Day 2021 – will we see future changes?

Data Privacy Day 2021 was marked recently on the 28th January, the fifteenth time the day has been celebrated. Also called Data Protection Day in the UK and Europe, Data Privacy Day commemorates the signing of the first international treaty that was legally binding for governing data protection and privacy, named Convention 108.

After what had been another eventful year of data breaches in 2020, we believe it is important for all individuals and organisations to start 2021 with a positive, proactive approach to data protection. The commemorative day at the start of the year should be valuable in raising awareness about issues relating to data privacy, yet nothing ever seems to change as we continue to see breach after breach after breach.

At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we aim to empower victims of data breaches to take action against those who have failed to protect their data, to ensure that the consequences of data breaches can be learned. We feel that it is the most proactive way forward given that no amount of legislation or commemorative days appear to be making the difference that is really required.

read more

By Author
March 30, 2021

Arrest records lost in major police data error

A recent data handling error has left thousands of arrest records lost, after they were accidentally deleted from the Police National Computer (PNC).

The mistake represents an extremely severe blow to police operations, which could pose a threat to public safety. While initial statements set the number of lost records at 150,000, it has since been reported that as many as 400,000 crime records could be affected.

As one of our major national institutions, it is worrying to see that the police force has been hit by data loss of this scale. There is no room for such errors in an organisation responsible for protecting so much important information, which is one of its key weapons in detecting and arresting suspects.

read more

By Author
nhs systems face fresh hacking dangers
March 26, 2021

Victims held to ransom by cybercriminals

Cyberattacks can be a common reason for the occurrence of data breaches, as criminals often target company databases to gain access to huge swathes of information. There is one type of attack that is particularly malicious in nature: when databases with highly sensitive data are hacked and the victims are held to ransom by cybercriminals, perhaps seeking payment in return for a vow that they will not misuse or publish the information.

These can sometimes be empty promises, placing the victims in danger whether they choose to pay up or reject the ransom. Unfortunately, poor data security of some organisations can often be the reason as to why victims end up in this defenseless position in the first place, as weaknesses in their systems could allow cybercriminals to break through.

If you have been put in a precarious situation due to a ransomware attack, we are here to advise you on your potential right to claim data breach compensation from those responsible for negligence.

read more

By Author
passwords are exposed in cyberattacks
March 16, 2021

East Devon Council password data leak

In a serious misstep at East Devon Council, the passwords of 37 council members were reportedly exposed online to other councillors, leaving private email inboxes potentially vulnerable to unauthorised access.

The error was quickly corrected, with affected councillors resetting their passwords. However, the period of vulnerability could have caused leaks of confidential information, which is why this is a serious matter.

Despite local authorities’ important responsibility to their communities and residents, we see data breaches happening far too frequently at local councils, suggesting that many are still failing to take their data protection duties seriously. At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we believe that failures when it comes to data protection law justifies legal action, as many of these local authorities need to develop more rigorous data protection measures to protect people’s information. Where they fail to do so, we are here to help.

read more

By Author
British Airways data breach claims
March 15, 2021

SITA data breach affects airline passengers across the globe

Another travel industry data breach has recently hit the headlines, with the popular airline IT provider SITA suffering a monumental cyberattack. The SITA data breach is thought to have exposed information belonging to hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Among the affected airlines are those owned by Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline group, and British Airways is also affected. Some of the thousands of clients that we represent for the 2018 BA data breaches have already come forward for our assistance.

The travel industry has been plagued by data breaches, with companies such as Marriott and easyJet falling prey to significant hacks in recent years. The wealth of information that is held by airlines and travel companies makes them prime targets for cybercriminals, and the effects can be devastating for those affected.

read more

By Author
Wentworth Golf Club hack
March 12, 2021

Wentworth Golf Club hack – claim compensation

A prestigious golf club in Surrey recently fell prey to a cyberattack in which hackers reportedly accessed the personal data of 4,000 members. Victims were notified of the Wentworth Golf Club hack on 15th January in an email sent from Neil Coulson, who is understood to be the general manager at the Club.

We have already taken a number of cases on and we are offering to represent people affected on a No Win, No Fee basis.

While the club may have assured members that there is not a significant risk to victims, the data exposure could be sufficient enough to leave affected members vulnerable and distressed. If you were affected and you wish to claim compensation, please do not hesitate to contact us now.

read more

By Ella p
data breach compensation for card skimming
March 10, 2021

Data breaches and payment card fraud

It is unsurprising that bank account information and credit or debit card details are among the most sought-after types of data for cybercriminals. This is due to financial motives many hackers have when they carry out cybercrimes. Payment card fraud is, therefore, one of the most significant risks of data breaches, and can occur in many different ways.

If fraudsters gain access to your money, it can be very difficult to recover stolen funds directly. At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we aim to hold the other guilty party to account in data breach cases, as a leading firm of data breach solicitors. In many instances, it is not just the criminal who is responsible for a data breach, but a third-party organisation may also be at fault if they failed to sufficiently protect personal data, and that is how criminals gained access to the details for you.

read more

By Ella p

We offer genuine No Win, No Fee agreements for our clients. Why we do this is simple:

Leading Data Breach Lawyers
Our experience speaks for itself.
We will fight for your right to compensation.
Access to Justice
As a victim of a data breach or hack, you deserve your chance to get access to justice.
Risks Assessment
We carefully risk assess your case and take it on if we think we have a good chance of winning the claim.

Request A Callback From Our Team

Fill out our quick call back form below and we'll contact you when you're ready to talk to us.

Your privacy is extremely important to us. Information on how we handle your data is in our Privacy Policy

solicitors regulation authority

SRA
Contact
www.dataleaklawyers.co.uk is © of Your Lawyers Limited - we are 'Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 508768)'
arrow-up icon