Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
The news of a Pembroke College data leak has recently been reported after it emerged that private details relating to the college’s alumni were made vulnerable to unauthorised access. Users with access to the college’s single sign-on system were reportedly able to access extensive personal information on the former Oxford University students who were hosted at Pembroke College, according to Cherwell.
All organisations that process and store personal data have a legal duty to protect it in accordance with the GDPR. Where they fail to do so, they can be held liable for a data protection breach. In some cases, the affected victims can also be eligible to make compensation claims for the harm caused.
Although it appears that the alumni information was not exposed outside the organisation, the incident at Pembroke College nevertheless demonstrates the problems with failing to manage data access appropriately.
In 2017, it was reported that West Midlands Police officers had been responsible for as many as 24 data breaches in just one year. For the most part, the West Midlands Police data breaches were reportedly caused by the inappropriate disclosure of private information.
The breaches, which are understood to have occurred over the course of 2016, show the significant role that human error can play in causing information security incidents. While the West Midlands Police did not reveal specifics of the individual cases, it is nevertheless concerning that officers with access to such sensitive information were not being more diligent in their data protection duties.
For their crime fighting duties, the police force necessarily hold a great deal of sensitive information, so it essential that there are robust defences in place to prevent this data from being exposed. Sometimes, when the police fail in their data protection duties, it can cause immense distress to those affected and can even compromise their personal safety. To us, it is important that all police data breaches are thoroughly scrutinised, which is why we can offer free, no-obligation advice to anyone affected by an incident like this.
Three years have passed since the NHS Digital data breach was reported, in a wide-reaching incident affecting around 150,000 patients across the country. Patients affected had chosen to opt-out from their medical information being used for non-care related purposes, but a mistake made by the IT and data branch of the NHS caused their requests to not be upheld.
Medical details represent perhaps the most sensitive type of personal information about us, so health professionals and services owe an important duty to their patients to protect this information and keep it confidential. This includes giving patients the option to choose how their data is processed and used, empowering them to take control of data disclosure. As such, when the health service fails to observe the choices of patients, it can be an indication of inept and inadequate data protection.
We began taking on claims for those affected by the NHS Digital data breach soon after it came to light, and we can still register claims despite the time that has elapsed since the incident. Contact us now to receive free, no-obligation advice on your claim.
Medical data often constitutes some of the most sensitive information involving an individual, so the effects can be devastating if this information is exposed. Cybercriminals are all too aware of this fact, and in the world of data misuse, highly sensitive information is often very profitable. Some cyberattacks result in medical data leaked online, with criminals using it as a powerful bargaining tool.
In the wake of medical data breaches, many victims may feel vulnerable and anxious, fearing that their private information might have fallen into the hands of cybercriminals. Nothing can make up for the distress of this difficult aftermath period but making a compensation claim can help to achieve some form of justice for the harm caused.
Your Lawyers, as leading data breach experts, want to make sure all data breach victims can access justice. Victims can contact us for free, no-obligation advice on a potential compensation claim.
The vital crime-fighting function of the police means that they are allowed to request, process and use much more data than most people would ordinarily disclose to a third party. Many trust the police to handle the information that they are given access to with caution and respect, only requesting and viewing it when absolutely necessary. However, there are unfortunate examples of police using data without consent, abusing their powers to view or use information inappropriately.
Police officers are not above data protection law and this is important to remember. It may be that certain allowances are granted to them in accordance with the GDPR, but they are still bound to certain restrictions.
As such, those who are affected by police data breaches may be entitled to claim compensation for the harm caused.
A former Wiltshire Council social worker has reportedly been taken to court over a “serious breach of trust”, having been found to have accessed sensitive information without reason or authorisation.
As a social worker, the individual in question was granted certain data access privileges. It has been reported by the Gazette and Herald that she abused her position in a way that could have put the privacy and safety of vulnerable people at risk.
Social workers naturally have a high level of trust invested in them, so it is understandable that there is a no-tolerance policy for any employees who breach this trust. Social services data breaches like this can have severe consequences for those affected, particularly where vulnerable minors are involved, as their personal details often must be kept under highly restricted access in order to protect them from abusive adults. We represent people for these kinds of cases quite a lot. As such, it is essential that anyone who threatens to compromise the need for data protection is punished accordingly.
It has recently been confirmed that a former Hampshire police officer has been reportedly banned from ever entering the police service again after it was found that he accessed private records without a valid policing reason. The Special Constable in question is understood to have resigned from his position before superiors could dismiss him for his data snooping.
While police officers are granted information access to records and details that are needed for casework, they are not authorised to view or use information outside of their policing workload without any good reason. Campbell violated his professional duty by accessing information without a legitimate reason, reportedly only browsing the records due to “curiosity”.
Regardless of the motives of the Hampshire police officer, there is no excuse for breaching data protection law. We trust the police service to maintain strict control over personal information, so it is important that any officers who breach the duty they owe to the public are held accountable for their actions.
In many cases, data protection breaches arise as a result of human error. A CybSafe analysis of data breaches reported to the ICO found that 90% of UK data breaches in 2019 were caused by user mistakes. The employees responsible for cybersecurity would, therefore, seem to be failing to adhere to data protection law, but there is much more to it than that.
Despite the high incidence of human error, it is employers who bear the ultimate responsibility for upholding data protection at their companies. This can mean that, when a data breach occurs, organisations may be liable to pay compensation. If you have been affected by a data breach caused by an employee, you can still have every right to make a claim and recover compensation from the organisation as a whole.
Despite looking up private police records without authorisation, a Detective Sergeant has recently evaded dismissal following a misconduct hearing. In the Northamptonshire detective data breach case, the Detective Sergeant reportedly looked up the details of a woman with whom he was engaging in an extra-marital relationship with at the time, who was involved in a case he was working on.
His actions reportedly amounted to misconduct, so the Northamptonshire Police appear to be sending mixed messages by not taking the matter any further. The police can, and often do, dismiss officers for similar offences, but this officer’s acceptance of the accusations against him, and his standing in the force, seem to have allowed him to avoid further consequences.
Police data breaches like this should be treated with the severity that they merit, taking account of the potential damage such actions can cause. Police services cannot afford to let employees off lightly for breaching data access regulations, as doing so could risk compromising the force’s reputation and its overall data security and integrity.
NHS CCTV cameras have reportedly been embroiled in a hack affecting security footage across the globe, after security company Verkada is understood to have been breached by hackers. It is said that live streams for as many as 150,000 Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras may have been viewed by unauthorised users.
Serving organisations include prisons, general businesses, schools and even psychiatric hospitals. The breach of Verkada’s cameras may have exposed the identities of many people working in, living in, or visiting affected institutions.
It is unclear exactly which feeds hackers may have viewed and what they gleaned from the footage, but it is nevertheless worrying to learn that a security firm has been subjected to such a wide-reaching breach. There is currently no evidence that any NHS camera feeds were viewed by hackers, but Verkada lists the NHS as one of its clients on the company website. Hackers have also claimed that they have been able to access the cameras of any of the affected organisations.
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