Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

ThyssenKrupp’s trade secrets stolen in cyber-hack

One of the largest global steel manufacturers, ThyssenKrupp, has revealed that their company has been hit by cyber-hackers and may have had sensitive trade secrets stolen.

In February last year, cyber-hackers gained access to the German manufacturer’s computer system and managed to go undetected for three months. It wasn’t until April that ThyssenKrupp’s internal security team detected the hack. According to the manufacturer’s spokesperson, the management board was informed “at once” and he notes that the hack was detected quite quickly.
read more

By Author

IoT devices will be subject to the most cyber-attacks in 2017

CSO Online, an online community that offers data protection advice, has highlighted that smart gadget devices – like the Apple Watch, or smart boiler controls – will be the next in line in for big cyber-attacks.

As the world continues to develop technological crazes, the cybersecurity to match technological development is questionable, and attention is turning on to the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These devices have been praised by technology enthusiasts as it gives us greater control over door locks, lights, and appliances, as well as streamlining businesses and ultimately making the user’s life a lot easier.

At the same time, it’s drawn a lot of criticism because these devices could allow opportunities for hackers to attack.
read more

By Author

“Spam marketing has landed Nouveau Finance a £70,000 fine” – Companies who use personal data for spam purposes remain in the ICO’s firing line

Aren’t marketing text messages one of the most irritating things?

Well, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has thankfully penalised a company for abusing text marketing powers. The issue with this batch of marketing messages is that it was done using personal information for marketing purposes without proper consent, and therefore constituted as a breach of the law.
read more

By Author

Cyber-attackers may leak data instead of just encrypting it!

There is a new threat of cybersecurity on the horizon, as cyber-attackers aren’t just encrypting data for ransoms, but may threaten to publish it for ransom payments, security experts warn.

From the sharp rise of cyber-attacks in recent years, internet users have learned to be wary. However, this has been met with the vicious growth of various techniques of cyber-attacks, which are becoming smarter and smarter. This new tactic will be sure to scare some in to paying up!
read more

By Author

Over 1 million Google accounts reportedly hacked

According to recent reports, cyber-hackers have had access to over one million Google accounts since August.

The cyber-hackers had unauthorised access to the accounts by installing malware software onto Android devices, therefore infecting Google accounts.

Very scary stuff!
read more

By Author

ICO fines two employees for a data breach when they used personal data wrongfully

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has prosecuted two employees, Lesley Severs and Kayleigh Billington, who worked at a claims management company. They both had access to data that was reportedly illegally obtained from another company, to go on to use the personal data to make calls to insurers.

The personal data in question included information about policy holders and their recent or historic road traffic accidents. The personal data would’ve no doubt included names, addresses, vehicle identification numbers, dates of birth, and so on.
read more

By Author

“Netflix’s precautionary measure” – Netflix urges users to change passwords to enhance data protection

Netflix users are being urged to change their passwords following a data hack from another company. This may be a precautionary measure though, and it started when Netflix found some users were using the same passwords across accounts.

This concern was further cemented with the confirmation of another company’s data being hacked and leaked. The leaked data flags up warning signs that Netflix users who are using the same passwords across accounts may have their data breached in a sort of domino effect.
read more

By Author

“Ransomware demands drop” – More and more cyber-attackers are demanding less; in a bid to victimise more

Cyber-hacks are becoming more and more sophisticated, and nowadays some cyber-hackers are demanding less from their victims to pay up.

Sometimes, people may feel there is no other way than paying up the ransom to gain access to your computer again. But as with most “products” or “services” there is usually a marginal propensity to pay – which is basically the willingness of someone to pay a price.

Would you pay £100 for a bottle of 2 litre milk? Probably not. Would you pay a pound for it? I’m sure you would.

Well, the hackers are employing the same tactic to make sure it’s cheap enough for people to pay as opposed to calling the police…
read more

By Author

“Every little (cybersecurity) helps” – 20,000 Tesco customer bank accounts accessed in cyber attack

Tesco are the latest corporation to fall victim to a major cyber-attack.

It’s thought that 20,000 customer bank accounts were affected following an attack, leading to a full investigation with the National Crime Agency which is now well underway.

This is also thought to be the first time a bank has acted very publicly about such an attack. There has long been concerns about what organisations are keeping from us. in terms of cybersecurity issues…
read more

By Author

“Facebook and WhatsApp data sharing” – Is the data sharing an infringement on EU data protection principles?

It has been quite a busy time for the European’s Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (WP29). After writing an open letter to Yahoo addressing the data breach which caused over 500 million users personal details to be stolen, the WP29 has also written to WhatsApp.

The concern surrounds the change in WhatsApp’s privacy settings, where it allowed Facebook to access their users’ data.

Is this an infringement?
read more

By Author