Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
The Cabinet Office has been issued with a penalty in the sum of £500,000 for the 2020 New Year Honours data breach, an incident that we have resolved legal action for.
The fine has been issued by the UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is intended to act as a punishment for what has happened. Such penalties can also act as a deterrent against future events.
We are pleased to see that regulatory action has now concluded. The fine is a separate matter to private legal action that victims of the data leak can be entitled to pursue. We have already resolved legal action that we have taken, having been instructed to act in the wake of the event, and this fine further cements that victims could be entitled to pursue a claim for compensation.
It may be the most wonderful time of the year for all the right reasons, but the festive season, and the weeks leading up to it, can be a hotbed for privacy events that could entitle you to pursue a retail data breach claim.
Unfortunately, hackers and scammers do exploit this time of the year when they know that retailers will often be very busy, and when they know that online shopping can reach its peaks. It is the ideal time for criminals to exploit people, and a successful cyberattack could see thousands – even millions – of people affected. As such, we all need to be careful, and we all need to watch out for hackers and scammers.
We have been approached for legal help following the recently identified Trafford Housing Trust data breach, and we have agreed to take action forward on a No Win, No Fee basis.
An outsourced contractor that the Trust uses has reportedly been hit by a cyberattack, and the result is that personal information has now been exposed.
Victims of a cyberattack can be entitled to claim data breach compensation to recover damages for any distress caused by the loss of control of their personal information. If any losses and expenses are incurred, these could also be considered.
Remote working has been a key security focus for some companies for a number of years, but the coronavirus pandemic has led to many more businesses adopting homeworking as a long-term practice. For some, remote working has longevity beyond social distancing restrictions. However, it can come with cybersecurity concerns, such that businesses must ensure they are effectively managing the risks of remote workers exposing data.
As well as the external cybersecurity threats to company servers, there is also a risk that undisciplined employees may make mistakes when they are no longer working in a controlled environment. Even the simplest of errors or oversights could allow sensitive information to become vulnerable.
Unfortunately, when the transition was made to remote working, some companies failed to make the cybersecurity adjustments required. Going forward, it is important that every company adapts their data protection strategies to the demands of remote working, or they may risk information exposure.
The recently announced GoDaddy cyber hack is another example of a big company being hit by a cyberattack that has resulted in the information for over a million people being exposed.
Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting large platforms like GoDaddy where they can hope to steal swathes of personal information that they could then misuse to commit fraud and theft. Even a little information can go a long way, and the risks for the victims could be significant.
Your Lawyers, as leading Data Leak Lawyers, have been fighting for the rights of privacy breach victims for years, representing thousands of clients in England and Wales. We know how badly people can suffer due to these types of attacks, and we are here to help.
Educational establishments commonly hold a wealth of information about their students, often to meet safeguarding requirements, or to ensure teachers have an appreciation of children’s personal circumstances. Such information can be valuable in providing care and support to students, yet it can also represent a security risk if organisations are not doing enough to protect this information. Due to the sensitivity of the information held, data breaches by schools and universities can be particularly harmful to those affected.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals also recognise the value of pupil and student data, seeing educational institutions as prime targets for hacks. The National Cyber Security Centre released an alert earlier this year revealing that the education sector was at an increased risk of ransomware attacks in late February, which is important to note.
With external threats to the sector high, it is essential that schools and universities are doing their utmost to protect personal information. Where they fail to do so, victims may be able to claim compensation for any loss of control of their personal information.
It has been reported that the recent Stor-A-File cyberattack resulted in hackers demanding a ransom of three million pounds in Bitcoin which has reportedly been rejected, leading to data being exposed online.
Last week, we covered the issues facing the Lister Fertility Clinic who are understood to have written to some 1,700 patients over medical records that Stor-A-File had been providing scanning services for. With potentially sensitive medical information at stake, it had been feared that patients of the clinic could be vulnerable to their private and sensitive medical information being compromised.
Now, it has been reported that the worst looks to have happened and that private and sensitive data stolen in the attack has now been put onto the dark web.
It has been revealed that the Lister Fertility Clinic data breach may affect some 1,700 patients of the private clinic, and victims of the cyberattack will need to be wary.
If you have received confirmation from the clinic that you have been affected, you could be eligible to pursue a claim for data breach compensation on a No Win, No Fee basis. The leading team here at Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – is happy to offer you free, no-obligation advice on a confidential basis now.
We are concerned that victims may end up being targeted by ransomware and scams, and it is important that those affected are protected as much as they can be.
When a cyberattack occurs, the response effort is extremely important in determining how far the collateral damage may extend. Data controllers who have succumbed to hacks have an important responsibility to face up to any mistakes made and repair vulnerabilities as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the attacked companies themselves cannot always be relied upon to respond quickly and effectively, which is why victims need to know what to do after a cyberattack. And this is where we can come in as data claims lawyers.
From ransomware to phishing scams, cyberattacks can come in many different forms, and data controllers are obliged by law to manage these threats with appropriate cybersecurity defences and response plans. Non-compliance with the law could be costly for victims, causing their information to fall into the hands of malicious cybercriminals.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – as leading privacy claims experts, we have honed our expertise in data breach claims over a number of years, making us a leading UK law firm in data protection law. Our specialism allows us to help victims of a wide range of data breach incidents to claim the compensation they deserve.
There is really not a great deal of time left to claim for certain damages you could be entitled to receive if you were one of those affected by the 2019 New Year’s Honours List data breach.
We have successfully recovered compensation arising from the incident, and if you were notified of your involvement, there is still time to claim. However, one of the deadlines expires next month and that could alter what you may be entitled to receive. You may still have a claim after this period has expired, but it could affect what you may be entitled to.
Your Lawyers is a leading firm of Data Leak Lawyers, pursuing compensation claims for breaches for thousands of people. This includes in over 50 group and multi-party actions that we have launched, and we have recovered over £1m for data breach clients alone since 2014. We are here to help, and you can speak to the team for free, no-obligation advice here now.
EasyJet admits data of nine million hacked
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