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 University of Sunderland cyberattack situation remains ongoing, with a significant amount of their IT and infrastructure grinding to a halt as a result of the problems caused.
Your Lawyers – as Leading Data Leak Lawyers – are used to seeing these kinds of incidents. We are also used to representing people claiming data breach compensation from events like this, and we have successfully recovered damages for victims affected by university data breaches.
Whilst we do not know the extent of what information – if any – has been compromised in this incident, if there are victims whose right to privacy has been breached, we may be able to help.
The education sector is being increasingly targeted by cyberattacks, with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issuing a warning regarding the rising incidence of criminal attacks in late March. Primary schools, secondary schools and higher educational institutions all hold a wide variety of private information, some of which can be highly sensitive in nature. Ensuring good cybersecurity in the education sector is, therefore, of paramount importance to ensure the privacy and safety of both staff and students.
While some cyberattacks can be difficult to prevent, it can sometimes be the case that organisations have failed to ensure that their systems are secure enough, allowing hackers a point of easy access. When this occurs, the organisation in question may have breached data protection law.
It is essential that schools and universities do their bit to protect the information that they store and process, or they risk exposing staff and students to data misuse. Anyone who has been put in this vulnerable situation may be eligible to claim compensation for the harm caused, so do not hesitate to contact us if you think that you may have a claim to make.
Warnings of increased numbers of Open University cyberattacks have hit the news after the London-based remote learning institute revealed that they have been subject to more than 1.1 million attempted cyberattacks since January 2020.
An element of these staggering figures could be put down to the coronavirus pandemic and the first national lockdown, with the second lockdown thought to potentially lead to more. With more people forced to work remotely, and many other universities now going online, the Open University has reportedly seen huge numbers of people looking to learn new skills during lockdown, or to boost their qualifications.
With the increase in online learning, as with everything else moving more online, there has been an increased number of cyberattack attempts. Particularly with the mass amounts of new devices on university servers, the Open University could be subject to many more cyberattacks given that being online is at the core of their business.
The National Cyber Security Centre has issued an alert to education institutions over fears of increased cyber-attacks. It is predicted there will be more university and college cyberattacks this teaching year, which could be particularly harmful to students who are having to learn online this semester due to the coronavirus pandemic.
University and college cybercrimes often include a lot of ‘ransomware’ incidents where highly sensitive data is held and a ransom is demanded for payment to be issued for data to be decrypted or destroyed. Malicious software can be used to lock people out of their computer systems and cause whole organisations to grind to a halt.
As a leading, specialist data breach compensation law firm, we have years of experience in this field and we often help victims of a cyberattacks claim the compensation that they deserve. Where personal data is exposed, we can fight for the justice that victims are entitled to by law, and deserve as a victim of a breach event.
The ongoing Northumbria University cyberattack is a cause for concern and has already led to a significant amount of distribution for students.
We understand that the situation remains ongoing as the university tries to fix the problems that have arisen from the cyberattack. It looks like this may be a ransomware attack, and it remains unknown as to whether any information has been exposed so far.
If data does end up being exposed, victims whose personal information is affected may need our legal advice and representation.
As a leading firm of data breach compensation experts, we are used to representing people for data breaches at universities on a No Win, No Fee basis.
And with recent research indicating that breaches in the education sector continue to be a serious problem, our work to fight for the justice of the victims continues to be important.
Victims of a university data breach can be eligible to claim compensation for the loss of control of their personal information. Here’s how this can work, as well as coverage of the recent research.
As the higher education sector becomes more and more digitalised, it’s a good time to remind people of their rights when it comes to a university data leak.
As a leading firm of data protection compensation and consumer action lawyers, we represent thousands of clients for cases. This includes for both individual claims and for large group and multi-party actions. We have represented clients for both singular and group cases for university data breaches, so we know the law and we have the experience a victim requires to fight for their rights to justice.
Here’s how we can help.
You can be entitled to make a claim for compensation if you have been the victim of a university cyber breach and your data has been misused or exposed.
It’s important to remember that higher education facilities like universities hold a wealth of information about a lot of people. It can include the usual personal information as well as financial data for fees, and medical and domestic data to ensure that the needs to students are met. When it comes to mitigating circumstances, the information that could be held for students can include some incredibly personal and sensitive information.
Universities can also be a major target for cyber criminals because of the research data that they hold. The information for students and employees can easily get caught up in such an attack as well.
Victims of a university cyber-attack can be entitled to claim for data breach compensation, and we can offer No Win, No Fee representation for cases that meet our eligibility criteria.
Universities and other learning institutions can be somewhat of a target for cybercriminals. They can be targeted by foreign threat across who are seeking intelligence and research information, but they can also be a target for those who wish to hack data for ransom.
These institutions often hold a wealth of personal and sensitive data about tens of thousands of people, and victims of a data breach like this should know their rights for justice.
It’s understood that the recently discovered Lancaster University cyber incident may have affected as many as 12,500 people.
The university was hit by what they called a “sophisticated” cyber-attack that had affected the data for some students and applicants. It’s now understood that the number of people whose data may have been exposed in the attack could be as many as 12,500.
Given the volume of people affected, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) could impose a significant penalty if they find that the university is guilty of breaching GDPR. In terms of justice for the victims, that’s where we come in.
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