Virgin Media breach links customers to porn

It has been reported that, in some cases, the recently discovered Virgin Media breach links customers to porn.

This is because the breach is understood to have contained information about customer requests to unblock access to certain websites, according to the BBC. The database is said to contain details about an online form used by over a thousand customers who had asked for particular websites to be blocked or unblocked.

This worrying revelation is an additional cause for concern in what we already believe to be a particularly worrying and avoidable data breach event.

How the Virgin Media breach links customers to porn

According to media reports, the Virgin Media breach links customers to porn because of details about requests for explicit websites to be blocked or unblocked.

Of the 900,000 people whose personal information has been exposed in the data leak, it’s understood that the online form data issue affects around 1,100 customers.

TurgenSec, the security research firm that originally discovered the breach, told the BBC:

“Stating to their customers that there was only a breach of ‘limited contact information’ is from our perspective understating the matter potentially to the point of being disingenuous. These highly sensitive details could be used by cyber-criminals to boost the chances of extorting money from victims.”

Why people should be worried

If the Virgin Media breach links customers to porn, there’s every need for those customers whose data has been leaked in this way to be worried.

We know that the exposed information has been accessed at least once by an unknown third-party during the breach period. It’s not known as to who the person is or what their intentions are in terms of if they have copied or taken any data that was left unsecure. If the unknown third-party intends to use the data for criminal purposes, victims could be blackmailed if their exposed data links them to explicit websites. This kind of extortion practice is a known tool used by criminals to force people to hand money over to them, so the risks are very real.

For anyone where the Virgin Media breach links customers to porn or explicit websites in general, we understand that this could cause significant distress. This is something that we will take into account as part of a claim for compensation.

The Virgin Media Data Breach Compensation Action

We have launched our Virgin Media Data Breach Compensation Action, and we are taking on increasing numbers of clients daily.

We’re not just registering people’s information with the view to keeping them updated about potential legal action; we’re taking legal action right now. We’re representing clients on a No Win, No Fee basis for compensation claims, and if you’ve yet to start your case with us, you can get in touch with us to get the process started now.

You can read more about our action and the breach on our specialist advice page here.

Virgin Media data breach compensation action: how to sign-up

Virgin Media cybersecurity compensation action