You could be eligible to claim compensation for any distress that has been caused by public sector cyberattacks, and we may be able to fight for your right to claim on a No Win, No Fee basis.
As leading privacy claims experts operating in England and Wales, Your Lawyers is ready to help you now if you have been affected by a privacy breach incident. Simply contact our team here now and we can provide you with free, no-obligation legal advice about your options for justice.
Risks of public sector cyberattacks
The risks of public sector cyberattacks taking place can be substantial. The first reason is that they store and process a wealth of very personal information, and we also have resourcing issues in respect of the public sector which can make them a softer target. Secondly, given the extent of the information they store and process, they are also a clear target for hackers anyway because the information can be valuable to them.
When you combine the possibility of a softer target and a wealth of very personal and sensitive information, it is easy to see why hackers will target public sector organisations. This is why it is incredibly important for the government to ensure that public sector cyberattacks do not take place by deploying adequate data protection resources. When this does not happen, the risks are obvious, and they mean that there can be greater chances of a significant volume of personal information ending up exposed or misused as a result of an incident.
What can victims do?
Anyone who has been affected by public sector cyberattacks could be eligible to pursue compensation for any breach of the GDPR that has taken place. If we can show that there was more that could – and should – have been done to have prevented the hack from taking place, it may be the case that the organisation at the centre of the incident is in breach of the GDPR. If we can establish that they are in breach of the GDPR, that is when a victim could be eligible to pursue compensation for any distress or loss that has been caused.
In many cases, few will suffer any form of loss, and it is a case of claiming compensation for any distress that has been caused. The distress can be significant as it can be very worrying and stressful to know that hackers have got hold of our personal information and could try to misuse it at any time. The immediate risks of theft and fraud that could take place at any point could be a real source of worry and distress for anyone affected.
Anybody affected by such a data breach could be eligible to claim and you can speak to our team for free, no-obligation legal advice here now.
WannaCry: NHS hacked 2017 and risks from 2020 onward
The WannaCry incident saw the NHS hacked in 2017, and risks from 2020 onward have been significant as a result of the additional stresses and pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In many ways, we have seen obvious conditions for cyber attackers to exploit the current situation and target the healthcare service as a public sector organisation that stores and processes a significant wealth of very personal and sensitive information.