Tag: online security

New Year’s Honours List data breach rounds off 2019

News of the New Year’s Honours List data leak incident rounded off what has been yet another year of leaks, breaches and hacks.

You can take it from us – as data breach experts – that news of this breach was nothing to be surprised about. We’re often asked for our expert insight by the media as we discuss what feels like a never-ending carousel of incident after incident, and this latest leak was yet another in what has been a big year for data breaches on the whole.

Our client numbers continue to grow given how often these kinds of incidents are taking place. When personal and sensitive information is misused or exposed, it’s important that victims know their rights.

The future for gaming data breaches

We have previously discussed the issues surrounding gaming data breaches, and have been asked for help and representation for cases of this nature.

The market for online gaming is massive, and data will be exchanged across the world as part of activities players are engaged in. There will be a lot of accounts that contain a great deal of personal data, and there will also be financial information stored for processing payments.

There’s also a huge “black market” for hijacked accounts as well. There are the players whose accounts they have spent time and money on being stolen, and there are those who are prepared to pay for built-up accounts. This leaves serious questions over the future of gaming and how they may be affected by data breaches.

Data breaches and encryption

Given the continually large volumes of incidents that are happening, it’s important to approach the subject of data breaches and encryption.

In some cases, leaks can happen due to human errors or system problems. Some hacks may take place because 100% effective defence is a hard thing to achieve. This doesn’t excuse an organisation when it comes to their responsibilities, but it’s important for them to understand that it’s about more than just trying to stop incidents; it’s also about preventing damage.

And that’s where encryption and even basic levels of protection is king.

Sweaty Betty data breach

The Sweaty Betty data breach incident appears to be another case of cybercriminals using malicious code in checkout systems to steal sensitive information.

We’ve literally seen this before. Two of the big recent examples are British Airways and Ticketmaster; both of which are thought to be attacks carried out by the same group of hackers. Inserting code into checkout systems can lead to personal details and payment card data being exposed and that’s exactly what has happened in the Sweaty Betty case.

Anyone who has been affected in England and Wales may be entitled to bring a claim for data breach compensation, and we can help.

Black Friday cybersecurity

As a ‘go-to’ name in the data breach compensation industry, we were asked by the I Paper to provide them with a list of Black Friday cybersecurity tips. We were more than happy to help.

As featured in the I Paper today, we have provided a list of safety tips for shoppers this Black Friday which also applies to the coming Cyber Monday. As great as deals can be for shoppers, in today’s age of cyberattacks and data exposure, consumers need to be careful.

You can read the tips in today’s print edition of the I Paper. We’ll also outline the basis of the information for you here as well under headings with some additional information.

Another Three data breach?

warning about employees stealing data for personal contact with customers

There has reportedly been yet another Three data breach, and the circumstances for the incident are almost the same as a previous one; which is worrying.

According to The Register earlier this month, there has been yet another case where people have been able to see the account information for other customers when using Three’s website. With the phone provider said to have around 10 million customers, any data breach they suffer could be monumental.

This isn’t the first time this exact problem has happened, and we have represented victims for Three data breaches in the past as well.

Medical data storage breaches

Any incidents involving medical data storage breaches can be serious, and they can easily happen as more and more of the healthcare sector is digitised and is accessible online.

It goes without saying that any and all data should be stored safely and securely, especially when it can be accessible online. Different organisations (be they Trusts, GPs, or insurers) that are involved in the healthcare sector may store data in different ways. Some may do it themselves, and some may use third-party hosting services. But whatever the services used, protection must be the priority.

If a medical data breach occurs as a result of a storage incident, victims should know that they can be entitled to make a claim for compensation.

Fraudsters targeting first-time buyers

According to credit-reference agency Experian, there are increasing incidents of fraudsters targeting first-time buyers, and some of it can be related to data breaches.

As a firm of expert data breach compensation lawyers, this news doesn’t come as a surprise to us at all. First-time buyers can be vulnerable to the kinds of tricks and scams that criminals can pull off, particularly because of being thrown into the world of owning a home for the first time. Criminals could pose as a number of organisations or parties, and they could use information from data breaches to convince people that they’re the real deal.

This kind of problem demonstrates how bad a simple data breach can actually be for a victim when criminals use even small bits of seemingly “harmless” data that has been exposed in a breach to do serious damage.

NHS digital technologies: should we be concerned?

compensation advice for hospital data breaches

Digitalisation is generally seen as a good thing, but in a day and age when data breaches are so common, should we be concerned when it comes to increasing use of NHS digital technologies?

Like many other industries, the growing use of technology can be great. We can reduce costs and wastage, increase efficiency, and make communication – which is vital – slick and smooth. When it comes to the healthcare industry, increasing use of technology and digitalisation could arguably save lives and improve patient care.

But with increasing digitalisation comes increasing vulnerability for technology to be exploited. Without adequate defences in place, it can be open season for criminals and fraudsters.

Tesco Parking App Data Leak

Last month, the Tesco parking app data leak was discovered by The Register, and it involved the exposure of tens of millions of number plate images.

It was one of those cases of information that had been accidentally left exposed, and was accessible to anyone who came across it. It was also a clear example of one of the issues we’ve been talking about lately, which is the weaknesses that come with outsourcing information services.

Your defence is only as good as your weakest link, and when there are more links in the chain that arise from outsourcing, data controllers need to be vigilant.