Cyber-attack compensation claims advice

You can be eligible to make a claim for cyber-attack compensation if your data has been exposed as a result of a hack.

Ultimately, the law is clear in terms of the responsibility organisations have to safeguard the data that they store and process. It’s their job to ensure that they have proper cybersecurity in place to prevent a breach incident taking place, and if they fail to do so, victims are well within their rights to justice.

A lot of the group actions and multi-party legal cases we’re involved in have stemmed from cyber-attacks. This includes some of the big-name examples like British Airways, Equifax and Ticketmaster.

When can you claim cyber-attack compensation?

You can be eligible to make a claim for cyber-attack compensation if your data has been exposed in a hack and the organisation who has been hacked has failed to secure your information.

It all comes down to what was in place at the time of the hack and whether more could – and should – have been done. It could be that, like the 2017 Equifax incident, a company has failed to secure their systems because they failed to patch a known security vulnerability. It could be that weaknesses in website coding has been exploited, which we saw in the BA data breach events.

It all comes down to that key question about whether or not the hack could have been reasonably stopped. If it could have been reasonably stopped, our view is that there may be a case to answer. Organisations must take the necessary steps to ensure that the data they hold is safe.

Can cyber-attack claims be defended?

Some organisation will choose to try and defend claims for cyber-attack compensation that are directed to them. Some may try and allege that there was nothing more that they could have done, or they may allege that no harm has been done as a result of the hack.

It’s down to us to pursue cases we believe have reasonable prospects of succeeding. We do offer No Win, No Fee representation for cases where we think there’s a case to make.

What do you claim in cyber-attack compensation cases?

You may be able to recover damages for any distress and financial loss as part of a cyber-attack compensation case.

Importantly, you don’t have to have suffered a financial loss to be able to claim. Data breach compensation pay-outs can be based solely on the impact of the distress caused by the loss of control of your personal and sensitive information.

How do you feel about criminals having your personal information?

There can also be the associated inconvenience of having to cancel cards and keep a closer eye on your financial affairs with the risk of being the victim of fraud looming over you. Many years could pass before criminals decide to use the data they hold to cause damage. Some may even gain data from several breaches which can put people at even greater risks over time.

That’s why what we do is so important, and to find out more about your options for justice, make sure you speak to our team.

NHS cyber breach advice

Rising cybercrime costs: what about the victims?