Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

New online portal offers help against ransomware attacks

Ransomware is software that blocks users having access to their computer system until a sum of money is paid. Ransomware helps to facilitate the evolution of cybercrime as it often funds more advanced types of cyber-crime software that can also be sold on to other cyber-criminals… Allowing for more cyber-attacks to happen.

The advice has been and still remains “do not pay the ransom”, if you do fall victim to hackers – by people paying the ransom they continue to fuel a vicious cybercrime circle. Even though people do pay, there is also no guarantee that people will regain access to their computer system.
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Local Government data leaks – a common problem

Our local governments hold a wealth of information about us.

Due to how much information they have on us, data breaches from local government organisations can be a major concern. One of the most frustrating things about local government data leaks is that we are required to share so much of our personal information with them that it makes even small vulnerabilities a huge problem.

Unlike businesses, where we arguably have more of an option when it comes to how much of our personal information we chose to share with them,  when it comes to sharing information with our government, it is often a necessity, and can be some of our most personal information indeed.

As we hand over more and more personal data, we expect it to be kept secure – but this is not always the case.
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Lightify app vulnerability puts users at risk of being hacked?

It has been discovered that internet connected light bulbs, produced by the company Osram, have multiple flaws that could allow hackers to access home Wi-Fi networks and not only potentially operate lights without permission, but give the hackers access to other devices that use the Wi-Fi network such as game consoles or Smart TV’s etc.
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Company uses public electronic communications service to make unsolicited calls

Between the 1st June 2015 and 31st December 2015, Change and Save Limited reportedly used a public electronic communications service in order to make unwanted calls for marketing purposes. Change and Save claimed they were contacting people about a life style survey, but this transpired to be false.

By making these calls, Change and Save Limited breached the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.

Over 200 people had complained to both the Telephone Referencing Service and to the director of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
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O2 Customer Information on sale on the “dark web”

Its been confirmed that O2 customer data has been found for sale on the dark web which experts believe the data came from a hack several years ago from a gaming website called XSplit.

The log-in details were stolen from XSplit and were then matched with a number of O2 accounts, allowing the hackers access to customer’s personal information. This is known as credential stuffing.

Despite being told not to, a large percentage of online users reuse the same login details for numerous sites, making them especially vulnerable to having their data hacked. The hackers accessed customer’s personal information such as phone numbers, emails, and date-of-birth. This is all personal information that can be used for fraudulent purposes.
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Should CEOs be held directly accountable for data breaches?

With recent data hacks being so huge, like the TalkTalk hack, social media giants MySpace and dating site hacks such as Beautiful People, more needs to be done to help prevent online attacks.

There has now been a call for more responsibility to be put on company CEOs to make them more accountable when dealing with a data breach. This has been a recommendation by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, who carried out a report in the wake of the TalkTalk data hack.
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Breach of NHS Patient confidentiality – more common than you think!

All members of the NHS have a duty to not disclose patient’s personal information. This is a part of the foundation of a patient/ doctor relationship. However, whilst most people believe their personal information is protected, data breaches by the NHS have been discovered to be more common than you think!

NHS data breaches can have serious consequences for the victims involved.
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Confidentially and the NHS – Your Rights

All members of the NHS are under a duty to keep patient information confidential. This is crucial for patients as they may otherwise be put off seeking medical advice if they believed their personal information would not remain confidential.

Guidelines have been provided by the General Medical Council and the British Medical Association that medical staff must follow to ensure that patient’s information is kept confidential.
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Pokemon Go – an almost potential lure for cyber attacks?

The Pokemon Go phenomenon that allows players to find and catch their favourite Pokemon out in the real world is taking over countries across the globe.

Pokemon Go is a free app on IOS and Android devices that allows players (depending on time and location) to track, find, and capture different Pokemon. The app works by using your phones GPS and clock so that you are able to locate Pokemon based on your location in real time.

The game allows players to live the fantasy of being able to experience what it would actually be like in the world of Pokemon. But experts are warning that it could leave people open to easy cyber attacks. So should we be concerned?
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Companies fear their data is at risk to online attacks

The majority of UK companies have revealed that their data is not adequately protected against the risk of data breaches.

A recent survey revealed that nearly 70% of companies that took part feared their data would be at risk if their systems were breached.

Only 7% of respondents were confident that their data would be secure if a company’s security perimeter was breached. 97% of companies in the UK actually admitted that their systems were ineffective in protecting its data from hackers and any other unauthorised users.
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