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NHS fax data breach issue uncovered

An issue that has led to a number of NHS fax data breach incidents has been reported, after mix-ups with a similar fax number has led to information going astray.

NHS data breach compensation cases are some of the more common types of claims our expert team help people with. A lot of the data breaches are caused by such simple errors that can be easily avoided. Despite this, they happen way too frequently.

The news of the fax mix ups is another example of this and comes to light after the accidental recipients of the data contacted NHS England about the incidents.

About the NHS fax data breach issues

The NHS fax data breach issue reportedly stems from GP surgeries and pharmacies accidentally sending data to the wrong number. The number they have been sending information to in some cases belongs to a hotel group who has then been receiving the faxes incorrectly.

Some of the data that has been sent to the wrong fax number includes medication requests, certificates and dispensing vouchers.

It’s understood that the fax number for the hotel group is similar to the ones used to send information within the healthcare system. The hotel group has notified the Corporate Information Governance Team for NHS England.

What’s being done about the NHS fax data breach issue?

As a result of these NHS fax data breach issues, NHS England has reportedly reminded GP surgeries and pharmacies about the importance of checking numbers. As some have recently called for a move away from faxes and pagers within the NHS, it’s claimed that this fax system is apparently the only way of sending this data within the healthcare system.

It sounds like something needs to change.

Any medical data breach can cause a huge amount of distress to the victims. When we see these simple errors over incredibly personal and sensitive data, it’s clear to us that more needs to be done.

As a firm of lawyers who specialise in data leak cases, we know how bad a breach can be for the victim.  It’s important for these simple and avoidable data breaches are stamped out.

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The rise of the gaming data breach

Are we in the midst of a rise in gaming data breach incidents? As more and more games are now full of consumables, we know hackers are targeting the gaming industry.

We recently wrote about the Fortnite hackers who have been reportedly making a mint off the back of stealing other people’s accounts and selling them on. Teenagers are being recruited to get involved in mass hacking jobs that appear relatively easy to carry out.

When you consider that the gaming industry is now an even more lucrative market as a result of consumables like loot boxes and other in-game purchases, digital property can be an attractive and profitable target.

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How scammers used Facebook’s phone number and email address search facility

Facebook has been all over the news lately over the data breach scandal involving data being skimmed by Cambridge Analytica. Since news first broke of the scandal, Facebook has been under heavy fire over their data privacy policies, as well as how they use people’s data and how it is shared.

In the latest, it can now be assumed that every Facebook user has had their data improperly shared. But, another issue is the questionable Facebook phone number search facility that has, reportedly, been used by scammers who are abusing the facility for their own gain.

Read on to find out how.
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More firms fear data breaches but don’t know how to deal with them…

With the number of high-profile data breaches growing, like the Yahoo and Equifax hacks as two examples, more and more businesses are aware that they’ll probably suffer one sooner or later.

However, even though they’re aware of the risks and the possibility of an imminent attack, a lot of businesses reportedly don’t know where to start in terms of data security and how to react when a breach does happen.

This is worrying…
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How should an organisation prepare for a data breach?

It’s now 2018. To many of us the internet is so important in our day-to-day lives it’s on the same level as eating and drinking. In just a few decades, we’ve gone from a screeching dial-up connection to super-fast Wi-Fi broadband (though not always quite fast enough) to meet with our ever-increasing online demands.

Technology is still developing at an alarming rate to allow us to do almost anything efficiently, accurately and even remotely. However, that isn’t to say that these technological advancments are perfect. Whilst we encourage new technology to allow us to make video calls with our grandparents half way across the globe and to send money with a swipe of our phones, cybersecurity is still lagging behind.
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Data leak and data breach compensation – a very quick guide

Data leak and data breach compensation is a fairly new area of law. It’s definitely still within its infancy, but as the digital age continues to grow, it’s never been more relevant than now.

Data leaks and data breaches are happening all the time. Go back 20-years and we were still very much reliant on paper, but nowadays, I’m sure almost all office workers are sat in front of a computer that’s connected to a network and the internet.

This hugely expansive ability to connect, coupled with the growth in the use of digital information, has led to a time where leaks and breaches really are a continual problem, and people need to know what their rights are as a victim of a data leak or a data breach.
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How punishable is the misuse of private information?

In a world where millions of files can be transferred in mere seconds at the click of a button, it’s hard to keep on top of who knows what these days. With today’s ever-advancing technology, one photograph can go viral on a worldwide scale in a matter of minutes.

For those of us who prefer our most personal information to not be broadcast and shared with the world, it can be difficult to keep it private nowadays. The Data Protection Act (DPA) helps with this since it came into force in 1998, and it tells us that, in England and Wales, personal information must be protected and tightly controlled.

Any misuse of private information can be punishable.
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Data breaches are costly: not just financially but they impact seriously on consumer confidence

Data breaches have become the talk of the town in the privacy world for decades. The apparent lax attitude of some companies and organisations appears to have resulted in data breach costs soaring.

The 2016 Cost of Data Breach Study, undertaken by Ponemon and IBM, found that the average total cost of a data breach increased from £2.37 million in 2014 to £2.53 million in 2015.

And we can only see it growing and growing…
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Recent ICO data security incident trends

A data breach is the intentional or unintentional release of secure or private/confidential data by, say, employees, cyber-hackers, political activists or national governments.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the U.K.’s independent privacy watchdog who have the responsibility of upholding information rights for the benefit of the public interest. Though there isn’t a legal responsibility on companies and/or organisations to report all data security breaches, it’s considered good practice to do so.

Here’s a look at some of the recent data security incident trends from the ICO.
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“Will our data ever be secure?” – Data breaches are an ‘inside job’ as well as an ‘outside job’

Data breaches are not always the work of outside hackers. In this, and many other cases, employees are guilty of causing the breaches.

It’s a point that must be reiterated as some people are unaware of the actual statistics. In one example, a former employee took more than 10,000 records with him when he left a company in November 2015 triggering a breach of monumental proportions.
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