Risks of compromised passwords from a data breach

There can be significant risks that can arise from compromised passwords from a data breach, which is why we can represent victims who are eligible to pursue compensation on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Our leading team of privacy experts at Your Lawyers are on your side and is here to help. Speak to our team now for free, no-obligation legal help in respect of pursuing a data breach claim now.

What are the risks of compromised passwords from a data breach?

The risks of compromised passwords from a data breach can be significant, and this is even the case when partial access credentials are exposed. It is always advised to use unique passwords for different accounts, and to make sure they are made up of several characters, numbers and symbols. A lot of passwords can be hashed or partially concealed when stored, but if you have an easy-to-guess password, cybercriminals have software that could fill in the blanks. If you reuse passwords across multiple platforms, you have given the keys to several accounts and risk fraud and theft.

The increasing use of two-factor authentication is another layer of security that has helped to abate the potential risks of compromised passwords from a data breach. This added layer of protection can really go a long way to preventing criminals breaking into accounts, so it is always recommended that you make use of it.

When accounts are compromised, there is a whole lot of damage that could be done. Criminals could see further information about you and could try to build a profile about you. They could make purchases in your name or sign up to additional accounts in your name to cause direct financial loss.

Ultimately, there is a lot that cybercriminals can do with passwords which is why they are often sold on the dark web when they are exposed in a data breach.

What rights to legal justice do you have?

For anyone who has suffered due to compromised passwords from a data breach, leak or hack, there are ways you can seek justice for any distress or loss you have suffered. If your information has been compromised through no fault of your own, perhaps due to your information being leaked by an organisation or exposed in a cyberattack, the organisation responsible for protecting your information could be negligent. If they are negligent and have breached the GDPR, any victim of a data breach could be entitled to seek compensation for any distress caused by the loss of control of personal information. If you have also suffered due to any money being stolen, this may also be accounted for, but it is not essential to have suffered losses or expenses to claim. In most cases, you will seek damages for the distress caused.

You could be entitled to claim thousands of pounds in damages. Our current average data breach settlement in damages alone is just over £6,000, which accounts for mostly individual claims. We can also work on a No Win, No Fee basis for eligible clients. As such, it is well worth your time pursuing a claim – speak to our team for free, no-obligation legal advice here now.

Risks of an NHS data protection breach

There can be plenty of risks in respect of NHS data protection breach incidents given that the healthcare sector is moving with the times in becoming increasingly digitised. We can book appointments and access information about us online, as well as manage prescriptions, and it is essential that cybercriminals do not access such accounts.

Medical information can be some of the most personal and sensitive information there is about us. If cybercriminals get hold of it, they could try to demand ransoms to release encrypted data or to not expose private medical information.

Leaked account information – privacy compensation

Compensation for receiving scam calls from a data breach