British Dental Association hack: unknowns remain

There are still plenty of questions and unknowns surrounding the recent British Dental Association hack that was revealed in the headlines in August.

The full extent of what data has been exposed, and how much of it, remains in question. What we do know so far is that those who are known to have been affected have had incredibly personal and sensitive data exposed. The information exposed could lead to fraud and theft, and victims must be vigilant.

We can investigate potential cases for compensation for a data breach on a No Win, No Fee basis. As a leading firm of data protection compensation specialists, we are here to help.

Unknowns remain in the British Dental Association hack

It is understood that the full extent of the August 2020 British Dental Association hack has still yet to be fully understood.

What we know so far is that:

• The bank account information for some Dentist members of the BDA may have been exposed;
• Correspondence information and case notes may also have been exposed;
• Security researchers were able to recently confirm that staff records appear to have been leaked on the dark web.

Members of the BDA could be targeted for fraud and theft. Given the nature of the information that has been exposed, it may be that criminals can target accounts to steal money or commit further acts of fraud.

It remains unknown as to whether any patient records or information are involved, but it is understood that the BDA does not usually hold full patient records. The BDA itself is reportedly still investigation the incident, and known victims are being contacted. However, the full extent of the data breach remains unknown.

Is there more damage to come?

We may only know the full extent of the British Dental Association hack if the criminals involved take further action with the exposed information. If data is sold, leaked, or otherwise misused, we may then find out the full extent of what has happened.

Fraudsters do not just use the data they steal to try and steal money with what they have. They can also use such information to try and get more data through fraudulent means, and this can then lead to even more information getting exposed. Given the nature of the data that is understood to have been involved, victims of the data breach must remain vigilant. Incredibly personal and sensitive data has been hacked, and the dangers are real.

When data is hacked, what can you do?

In any case when information is hacked, the victims whose personal information has been exposed or misused do not have to suffer in silence.

Data breach victims can be entitled to claim compensation. To succeed with a claim, we need to establish that there has been some form of negligence on the part of the organisation that has been hacked.

In the case of the British Dental Association hack, the attack has been described as ‘sophisticated’, which is a word often used in most cyberattacks that hit the headlines. Ultimately, if there is any responsibility on the part of the BDA, it will come down to how they were hacked. If more could – and should – have been done to have prevented the breach, and keep data safe, that is when victims could potentially be entitled to claim.

For free and no-obligation advice about your options if your information has been hacked, please don’t hesitate to contact the team today.

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