Tag: online security
Investment fraud resulting from data breaches
Every year, thousands of people fall prey to investment fraud, in which criminals lure victims in with the promise of huge returns. While some of these scams can be unsophisticated and easy to detect, others can be highly convincing, making them harder for people to identify.
In order to target victims with investment scams, fraudsters first need to gain access to contact details in order to send out their fraudulent marketing material. In the digital age, in which businesses hold vast quantities of consumers’ personal information, data breaches are increasingly becoming prime sources of personal details for cybercriminals.
If your personal information is exposed in a data breach, and falls into the hands of cybercriminals, you could be put at risk of all kinds of financial crimes. In cases where the data controller failed to do enough to protect your private information, they can be indirectly responsible for the risks you have been exposed to, and they could be liable to pay you compensation as a victim of the data breach. To find out more about a potential data breach claim, contact our specialist team for free, no-obligation advice.
Billions of leaked records – data exposure in 2021
According to a recent report, over five billion personal records have already been exposed in 2021. A number of significant data leak incidents have contributed to the billions of leaked records, showing how cybercriminals are often able to steal information in large quantities.
In many cases, the theft of records can be facilitated by the negligence or errors of data controllers. Despite being required by law to impose strong cybersecurity defences, vulnerabilities are often neglected and left open for cybercriminals to take advantage of.
Your Lawyers, as leading specialists in data protection law, have seen data controllers fail to meet their responsibilities on many occasions, and the consequences can be devastating for those affected. It is not always possible to undo the impact when control of your personal information is lost, but making a data protection breach compensation claim can allow you to hold a third-party organisation accountable for any failure to protect your personal data. In a time in which so many records are being leaked, our work has never been more important.
Twitch earnings data leak exposes wealth of information
The Twitch earnings data leak has reportedly led to a wealth of personal information about streamers being exposed and being circulated online.
It is not yet fully clear as to exactly how the information has been exposed. There are reports that hackers have claimed responsibility, and the Amazon-owned platform has reported a “server configuration” problem.
As leading data breach compensation lawyers, what we do know for sure is that the personal information for a lot of people has been exposed. What this means is that they could be entitled to claim data breach compensation with No Win, No Fee legal representation.
Cybersecurity month 2021 – how we help the victims
As we mark Cybersecurity month 2021 this October, we will talk about how we can help the victims of data breaches, leaks and hacks, and the important work that we do to hold organisations to account for data protection and privacy failures.
Victims of a data breach can be eligible to claim data breach compensation. Depending on how you have been affected by a breach, you could be eligible to receive thousands of pounds in data breach damages.
When it comes to what we do, our experience speaks for itself. Read on for more information.
Push payment fraud arising from data breaches
In the wake of data breaches, the exposure of personal information can make victims vulnerable to becoming the targets of scammers and fraudsters. Compromised contact details or bank account information could be used by cybercriminals to extract further personal information and money from the victims that they target. Push payment fraud is among the various types of crimes that data breach victims could be targeted with.
When we disclose our data to third-party organisations, we do so in the belief that they will do their utmost to protect it. However, too many data controllers fail to recognise the importance of data protection and fail to comply with the law. Even the most basic of security errors could cause victims to have their information made vulnerable to misuse by cybercriminals.
If you have fallen prey to push payment fraud following a data breach, you may be able to claim compensation for your involvement, and for the emotional and/or financial impact of the incident. To find out more, contact us for free, no-obligation advice on your potential data breach claim.
Giant Pay cyberattack ongoing
It has been confirmed that the Giant Pay cyberattack, a matter that is understood to still be ongoing, stemmed from an incident that was identified on 22nd September 2021.
The incident is understood to be a ransomware attack, and it remains unknown as to whether any personal information has been compromised. The matter has been reported to relevant authorities, and there may have been some disruption to services so far.
Your Lawyers – as leading Data Leak Lawyers – specialise in legal justice for data breach victims. We see these kinds of incidents all the time and represent thousands of people for cases on a No Win, No Fee basis. Hopefully, personal data will not be exposed in this attack, but it remains to be seen.
Steris data breach
Steris, a provider of a variety of medical products and services, has reportedly been found to have been impacted by a data security incident. The Steris data breach is understood to have been part of a wider cybersecurity attack that first came to public attention in December 2020, when Accellion, a technology company, reportedly suffered a hack.
As one of the many companies that pays to use Accellion’s FTA (File Transfer Appliance) to transfer files, Steris had private information when the FTA server was breached by external hackers. The list of companies affected by the Accellion hack has grown and grown in the months following the data breach, in what has become a highly convoluted incident for the company.
The Accellion incident demonstrates how harmful data breaches can be when they affect businesses that provide services to other businesses, creating a domino effect of data breaches. With the threat of such wide-reaching damage, it is essential that all businesses take action to ensure that they deploy appropriate security and protect the personal information in their possession.
IT security company data breach
In the modern digital world, it is rare that companies rely solely on their own internal IT capabilities to operate their computers and networks, instead engaging the services of IT companies to help them set up effective digital systems and often to provide good security for these systems. Even companies hired for the specific purpose of cybersecurity can neglect vulnerabilities. If this happens, an IT security company data breach may occur.
The element of third-party security risks can be one that companies overlook, but no data controller can evade its ultimate responsibility for a data breach. Whether the incident occurred due to a third-party provider or the company itself, those affected by data breaches could be eligible to claim compensation for any harm caused.
Pension plan data breaches
Whether you have sought out your own pension plan or you have been automatically registered on one by your employer, a significant portion of the working population is contributing to a pension plan. Pensions are perhaps not something we often think about in terms of a data security risk, but pension plan data breaches are capable of causing significant damage to those affected.
In fact, employers and pension providers often have to process and hold a variety of different details about employees meaning that, if such information is compromised, it can constitute a significant breach of the victims’ data privacy. Where pension companies or employers have failed to protect pension data, they may be liable to issue compensation pay-outs to those affected.
At Your Lawyers – the Data Leak Lawyers – as leading privacy claims experts we have been representing clients for data matters since 2014. Our experience in data breach claims means that we are well equipped to hold data controllers accountable for their negligence. We believe there is still too much complacency surrounding the importance of data protection, which is why we support data breach victims to ensure that they receive the compensation they deserve.
Retail data breaches
Even before the popularity of online shopping, it was possible for customers to fall victim to data misuse, with criminals carrying out hacks of card machines to gain access to payment details. Now, with online shopping on a constant upturn, many of us share our personal information with third-party companies on a regular basis online. If these companies fail to protect our information, we can fall prey to retail data breaches.
In fact, because of the wealth of card data held by retailers, they are a prime target for cybercriminals. Online retailers were arguably put at an increased risk during the past year’s lockdown periods, during which many people turned to online shopping to make their purchases, a fact that fraudsters were all too aware of.
Regardless of the potential increase in cybercrime, the data controllers themselves can bear the responsibility when a data breach does occur. Retailers have a legal obligation to protect personal information, and when they fail in this duty, they could be liable to pay thousands of pounds in compensation when victims make a data breach claim.