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We specialise in representing victims for data breach compensation claims.
Information on how we handle your data is available in our Privacy Policy.
Unfortunately, there are many circumstances in which a person’s data may be compromised or exposed, after which they can become vulnerable to a number of security risks. With such potential dangers involved, it is vital that those responsible for threatening information security and breaching data protection law are held to account. This is why it is important for affected victims to pursue confidential information claims for breaches.
Data security is a concern that has grown in the public consciousness in recent years, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As we lead increasingly digitised lives, and share our personal information with more and more companies, the risks can be greater. Whilst this should not be the case, increased data sharing often comes with inherent information security risks if the data controllers to whom you are disclosing your details to fail to comply with the GDPR.
However, there is a legal process that can enable victims to seek justice when they are affected by data breaches. The GDPR can entitle those who have had their data protection rights breached to claim compensation for the harm caused to them, and we can offer No Win, No Fee legal representation.
In principle, most of us should recognise the value of creating complex, unique passwords for each of our online accounts, but many of us find it difficult to apply this principle in practice. Until we are directly confronted with a compromised security event, few of us may comprehend the risks of reusing passwords. It is for this reason that we think it’s important to reiterate the dangers of this fundamental security error, particularly in a world in which we are constantly facing the threats of cybercrime.
In the digital world, just one stolen or leaked password could allow a cybercriminal to unlock a wealth of valuable information. As hackers continue to develop more sophisticated methods, password misuse could be regarded as a growing phenomenon.
We are a firm of specialist data protection lawyers, so we know all too well the dangers that victims of information exposure can be made vulnerable to. In our capacity as data breach specialists, we want to empower our clients to protect their data security as far as they can, which is why we are offering this advice as a basic data protection strategy.
Councils hold extensive private information about their residents, all of which they have a duty to protect against unauthorised access and data leaks. Unfortunately, there are local authorities that fail to observe their data protection duties and, in some cases, this can lead to an online council data leak.
Unfortunately, recent reports on the hundreds of data breaches suffered by local authorities in the past year or so suggests that they remain under-resourced when it comes to cybersecurity, a deficiency that may be contributing to the high numbers of council data breaches taking place. However, there have also been a number of human error incidents at local councils in which the errors of employees have caused data to be leaked online.
When the negligence of a third-party data controller causes information to be leaked or compromised, those affected may have a right to claim compensation for a data protection breach. Local councils have a responsibility to their residents and should, therefore, be held accountable when they put data security at risk.
The latest developments in the recently discovered Stor-A-File cyberattack are concerning. After the company refused to pay a ransom demand issued by the hackers behind the attack, what has been described as tens of thousands of files have now reportedly been dumped on the dark web.
It is understood that Store-A-File refused to meet the demands of the ransom, which was reportedly set at £3m in Bitcoin, on the advice of authorities. Unfortunately, the hackers appear to have followed through on their threats and have now exposed information caught up in the data breach on the dark web. It could now be exploited by criminals, and victims will need to remain incredibly vigilant.
We recently reported on the Lister Fertility Clinic data breach as one of the organisations that were caught up in the Stor-A-File cyberattack. Some 1,700 patients had reportedly been corresponded with to advise of their potential involvement in the breach as a company using Stor-A-File for scanning services. It is thought that some 13 organisations may be affected in all, and these are understood to include the NHS, GP surgeries, local councils, and some private sector companies including law firms and accountants.
As we are now in December, our shopping habits are bound to increase in the run up to Christmas, so now is the time to remind people about spikes in retail data breaches at this time of the year.
Not only can this apply for people needing to make sure that they are safe when shopping online, but it can also apply for the time of the year being perfect for scammers to exploit. This is the time of year when retail businesses are usually busier, and when there may often be a lot of traffic on websites. It can be the perfect time for hackers to exploit businesses, and any lapses in security could come back to haunt.
Whilst it may be the most wonderful time of the year, it can also be one of the most vulnerable times of the year when it comes to data protection and cybersecurity.
A part of the wider Accellion cyberattack, Steris has reportedly fallen prey to a breach of private information. The Steris data breach first came to public attention in early 2021, but the incident itself is understood to have occurred as a result of a cyberattack reported in late December 2020.
Steris is a US company engaged in the supply of sterilisation services and surgical equipment in the healthcare sector. It is also far from the only company to be involved in the Accellion cybersecurity incident, which reportedly affected many business customers that use Accellion’s FTA (File Transfer Appliance).
Businesses don’t operate in a vacuum – with so many companies outsourcing to other companies for different products and services, business operations are commonly interlinked. As a result, businesses have to be able to rely on each other from a data protection perspective. In the case of Accellion, it seems that the company could not be trusted to maintain cybersecurity.
The Lister Fertility Clinic data breach has resulted in the personal information of what may be around 1,700 patients at risk of exposure following a cyberattack.
The attack itself actually hit a third-party supplier, but it is feared that information caught up in the data breach may include personal and sensitive medical records and information. Correspondence is being sent out to affected victims, and those who are affected may be eligible to pursue a claim for data breach compensation.
For eligible clients that place their claim with us, we are able to offer No Win, No Fee legal representation.
At the start of the month, it came to light that a potentially major Labour Party data breach was taking place, reportedly involving a third party suffering from a cyberattack.
Although it is understood that Labour’s own systems were not breached or directly affected by the cyberattack, a third party that stores and processes information for members on behalf of the Party was hit by what was reported to be a ransomware attack. It is thought that the hackers were not targeting Labour directly and appear to have financial motivations behind the attack.
The Labour Party notified members of the data breach and warned them to be wary of being contacted for scams, which could occur via email, text or from calls. We have taken on cases for those affected, so contact the team for help and advice now.
Healthcare organisations hold swathes of medical records and information, most of which are stored digitally. Technological developments have put pressure on healthcare organisations to ensure medical data is protected with strong cybersecurity and strict data processing regulations, but some hospitals and practices are still failing to meet the mark. When a healthcare organisation causes a medical data breach, the effects can be significant for those affected.
Victims can have their privacy compromised in all kinds of ways, but the underlying truth is always the same; if a third-party organisation has failed to protect your information, your right to privacy may have been breached, and you may be entitled to claim compensation.
As specialist Data Breach Lawyers, we have been supporting victims through the difficult aftermath of data breaches for several years, helping them to obtain the compensation they deserve. Anyone who has been affected by a medical data breach can contact us for free, expert advice on their potential claim. You could be entitled to No Win, No Fee legal representation.
The importance of our work in fighting for the rights of data breach victims is highlighted with the annual passing of Cybersecurity month 2021.
It is not just about what has happened, what can be better, and how we can improve the overall landscape of data protection matters. It is also about recognising that real people have suffered injustice and distress when their personal and private information has been exposed or misused. And this is important to recognise.
As specialist Data Breach Lawyers, our job is to support those affected by such incidents and make sure that they can access some form of justice for what they have had to go through. This is why we can offer No Win, No Fee legal support to victims now.
The recently reported Twitch data leak is understood to have exposed the earnings information for streamers, whose data is now said to be circulating on pay-out lists on the internet.
Earnings and pay-out information for the streamers affected is personal data that they should be allowed to have full control over. The fact that it has now been exposed means that those affected could be eligible to pursue a claim for data breach compensation. For anyone eligible for a legal case, we are able to offer No Win, No Fee arrangements.
Read on for more advice and information, and please do not hesitate to contact the team for free, no-obligation help now.
As a tool for accessing online accounts, passwords can often be a key target for cybercriminals. As such, when a data breach or cyberattack occurs, passwords can be among the most valuable information for the hackers to get hold of in the incident. In the aftermath of incidents like these, passwords found on the dark web can be a sign of the scale of the data theft, and the security threat to the affected victims.
Security researchers are often searching the dark web for indications of consumer data theft, and there have been a number of alarming news stories in recent years detailing how much personal information may be circulating on the dark web. The sharing, sale and purchasing of data is a highly worrying prospect, particularly for those who know that their information has been exposed.
When a third-party company fails to protect your personal data, this can make it vulnerable to misuse by cybercriminals. Nobody should be put in these dangerous situations, which is why data breach victims can be entitled to claim compensation for the harm caused on a No Win, No Fee basis with us.
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