Worst healthcare cyberattacks of 2019

The NHS was subject to some of the worst healthcare cyberattacks of 2019. The year saw a continuous increase of data breaches with two-thirds of healthcare organisations in the UK understood to have been involved in some form of data breach last year.

Many of these data breaches stem from virus and malware attacks which often arise from a compromised third-party device.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by Centrify reportedly found that the NHS has blocked some 11.4 million cyberattacks between 2016 and 2019. This shows just how much the NHS is a huge target for cybercriminals, and how they have ended up being targeted for some of the worst healthcare cyberattacks of 2019.

Some of the worst healthcare cyberattacks of 2019…

We witnessed some of the worst healthcare cyberattacks of 2019 in the US. One incident involved the American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA), whose systems were reportedly hacked for eight months between August 2018 and March 2019. This data breach is said to have affected 25 million patients and was deemed to be at the top of the charts in terms of the biggest healthcare cyberattacks of 2019.

Back in the UK, NHS statistics over the course of the last three years showed that, of the 11.4 million attacks reported, 3.6 million were related to spam, and 852,000 involved malware.

The NHS is extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks due to the fact that it is such a big target. What does not help is the use of outdated computer systems and a lack of awareness in cybersecurity that has been identified within the NHS over the last few years as well.

What could I claim for if my personal data has been breached?

If your personal data has been exposed in a healthcare data breach, you could be eligible to claim compensation on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Depending on the nature of the information exposed in the breach can depend on if you have a legal case or not. When it comes to medical data breaches, we are often looking at some of the most personal and sensitive information there can be. What this means is that compensation amounts in a case like this can be substantial.

Healthcare data breaches often involve more personal details than the standard contact and payment details. Past healthcare data breaches have revealed victims; sexual orientation details, disabilities information, treatment information, and confidential medical statuses. This kind of incident is an unacceptable breach of privacy and you could be entitled to claim damages if this has happened to you – please do not hesitate to get in touch.

About Your Lawyers – the Data Leak Lawyers

Your Lawyers is a leading, specialist data breach law firm with years of experience as a consumer and group action law firm. We pioneered privacy and data breach actions as far back as 2014, and we launched action in 2015 for the 56 Dean Street Clinic Leak – one of the most sensitive and serious healthcare data breaches to have ever taken place.

In 2019 we were appointed, by the High Court of Justice, to the Steering Committee for the British Airways Data Breach Group Action – the first GDPR Group Litigation Order (GLO) in England and Wales.

We currently represent thousands of claimants across over 50 different multi-party and group action claims and have helped thousands of victims receive millions of pounds in damages.

If your personal data has been affected by a data breach, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim with us today. We can offer eligible victims No Win, No Fee representation for eligible clients where we believe there is a case to answer.

To start your claim today, contact us here.

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