Cyberattack on ForHousing and Liberty results in data theft

A recent ransomware attack on ForHousing and Liberty has led to the alleged theft of private data after hackers are understood to have managed to gain unauthorised access to the systems of ForViva, the social housing group to which the two companies belong. The executive of the group has reportedly stated that only a small volume of data may have been compromised, but the incident nevertheless has the potential to cause damage to data privacy.

Social housing groups like ForViva are usually required to hold a range of personal information to support their operations, both relating to their staff and, of course, to their residents. As such, they have important data protection responsibilities and must be relied upon to keep the information they store and process secure. Even in the case of cyberattacks, all data controllers retain a degree of responsibility, as they are expected to defend against such external threats as far as they possibly can.

As leading specialist Data Breach Lawyers, we are here to ensure data controllers are held to their legal duties that they are bound to when it comes to data protection law. Making data breach claims is a key route to achieving justice. If the security of your information has been compromised by the actions or negligence of a third party, you could be eligible to claim compensation on a No Win, No Fee basis now.

ForHousing and Liberty cyberattack and risks to data

The ForHousing and Liberty cyberattack was reportedly first identified on 26^th July 2021. Hackers were said to be trying to breach the group’s systems at this point, in what has been described as a ransomware attack.

Prospective tenants can typically be required to disclose significant information to be granted a tenancy, so it is unsurprising that security incidents like this can be capable of causing concern to tenants. However, ForViva has in this case sought to confirm that no data held by For Housing (its housing association branch) has been compromised, so it has been able to assure tenants that their information should not have been affected so far.

Instead, Liberty, the branch of For Housing that provides property services to business clients, has reportedly been hit worst, with a “small amount” of information being subjected to unauthorised access.

Allegations of dark web publications

It has, however, been alleged that information derived from ForViva may have been put on the dark web since the attack. A third-party threat analyst has reportedly identified a publication dated 1^st August but did not specify the nature of the data or whether it came from ForHousing and Liberty.

The potential impact on data subjects remains unclear, but leaks like this can often cause those affected to be targeted with fraud and scam attempts.

Every data breach matters

The ForHousing and Liberty cyber incident may have a relatively small impact compared to some of the data breach cases for which we have represented clients, such as the British Airways and Virgin Media data breaches. However, this does not make the matter any less important. Where data protection law may have been breached, it is vital that thorough investigations are carried out, and that those affected are given the opportunity to access the justice they deserve.

If you have been affected by a data breach, you may be able to claim compensation for the harm caused, so contact us today to receive free, no-obligation advice on your potential data breach claim.