Impact of a council cyberattack

As a leading consumer action and data breach compensation law firm, we understand the impact of a council cyberattack as the representatives of victims for these kinds of cases.

Council data breach compensation claims make up a huge number of the thousands of cases that we have taken forward. Settlements for these types of cases can be substantial given the nature of the information that can be involved, and we can offer No Win, No Fee representation.

If your data has been misused or exposed in a cyberattack like this, we may be able to help you.

Impact of a council cyberattack on the victims

The impact of a council cyberattack for the victims could be severe. Councils and local authority agencies store and process a significant amount of information for a large number of people, and the nature of the data can cover all of the main types.

Unfortunately, this can make them a prime target for cybercriminals, especially when there may be a lack of funding in data protection infrastructure.

For example, your local council may have your general contact information as well as data about your earnings and your payment account data for council tax reasons. They may also have medical records or general healthcare information that could be required for services like blue badge schemes. Social services departments may know sensitive information about your domestic and family life too.

As such, in a worst-case scenario, one file that falls into the hands of cybercriminals could mean that a whole host of incredibly personal and sensitive data about you is exposed. When it comes to how we look at data breach compensation values, it can often come down to the extent and severity of the data exposed. In an example like the above, this could be substantial, and this is precisely the kind of information that we want to keep private.

Victims can be entitled to claim for the distress caused by the loss of control of personal information. If anyone becomes a victim of fraud and loses money, this could also be accounted for. You don’t have to have suffered an actual financial loss to be able to claim, but these kinds of losses and expenses can also be included.

The impact for residents in general

Earlier this year, it was reported that over 135,000 residents were unable to make use of online services as a council was dealing with a cyberattack.

In February 2020, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council reportedly confirmed that their computers had been hit by an attack. It’s believed that files had been altered as part of a ransomware situation where money was demanded from the local authority, and the National Cyber Security Centre was involved in assisting the council with the attack.

As a result of the incident, the council was forced to pull services offline with staff left using old fashioned pen and paper methods. The impact of a council cyberattack like this may have been substantial for residents, which is why it’s important for councils to make sure that they have robust cybersecurity systems in place.

What can victims of a data breach do?

When it comes to the impact of a council cyberattack, we understand how bad it can be.

As a specialist law firm that has been at the forefront of this niche and complex area of law for years, and a lot longer than many other firms, we have the experience you need to get the justice that you deserve. We act for thousands of data breach victims, and many involve councils and local authority agencies.

We may be able to represent you for a legal case on a No Win, No Fee basis. To find out if we can, all you need to do is contact our team today for free, no-obligation advice.

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