Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
There are still so many worries when it comes to another NHS cyber breach event like we saw with the 2017 WannaCry incident that crippled many parts of our healthcare service.
Last week, we covered the most recent study that was focused on ongoing vulnerabilities and whether we’re set to see another huge event that could affect millions of people in the UK. And a lot of the worries stem from the simple fact that there’s not always enough funding in place for proper cybersecurity. In fact, cost-cutting can subsequently lead to even greater vulnerabilities.
We can’t change the fact that vulnerabilities may not be the focus for the government. But what we can do is make sure that victims of an NHS cyber breach can access the legal help and representation they need.
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.
As the issue of rising cybercrime costs hits the news again, we want to make sure that the focus isn’t shifted away from those who can be hit the worst when an incident takes place; the victims.
Although organisations can end up paying significant costs in dealing with the fallout of a data breach incident, it’s the victims whose personal and sensitive information has been exposed. It’s the victims who must suffer with the distress caused by the loss of control over their information. And it’s the victims who we focus on when we represent them for claims for data breach compensation.
Importantly, victims can be entitled to claim compensation when their information is misused or exposed. Data breach compensation pay-outs are separate to fines and costs and are designed to ensure the victims are properly compensated.
It’s understood that the recently discovered Lancaster University cyber incident may have affected as many as 12,500 people.
The university was hit by what they called a “sophisticated” cyber-attack that had affected the data for some students and applicants. It’s now understood that the number of people whose data may have been exposed in the attack could be as many as 12,500.
Given the volume of people affected, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) could impose a significant penalty if they find that the university is guilty of breaching GDPR. In terms of justice for the victims, that’s where we come in.
The worries over future hospital cyber-attack incidents are still at the forefront of many minds as more recent research suggests that the industry remains vulnerable to attack.
A recent report from Imperial College London’s Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) included a stark warning about the continued vulnerability for hospitals. With the healthcare sector remaining a prime target as a result of the nature of the data it stores and processes (and the volume of it), this is worrying news.
Healthcare data breach compensation claims remain one of the most common types of cases that we take forward. News that the sector remains vulnerable is a cause for concern.
The recent Lancaster University cyber-attack highlights the need for better defence in the educational sector, as this isn’t the first time a successful attack has taken place that involves a university.
As well as being able to represent anyone affected by the Lancaster incident, we’ve been representing victims of the Greenwich University cyber-attack incident from a few years ago. There have also been cases of other higher education organisations being hit by attacks as well, including Oxford University and Warwick.
As well as highlighting the needs for better defence, we must also make sure that victims of successful data breach incidents know what they can do as well.
Public sector hacks remain one of the more worrying aspects of worldwide data protection issues, and we can tell you from experience that these woes apply here in the UK.
We say this a lot, but the simple fact of the matter is that it’s a worrying truth. One of the most common types of compensation claims we deal with here at the Data Leak Lawyers involve public sector organisations. The most common are medical data breach claims and council data protection cases.
Yet again, we’re hearing the experts voice their concerns when it comes to public sector data protection problems, and it’s important for people to know what to do when their information it misused or exposed.
Official records from NHS Digital reportedly show an alarming number of NHS email cyber-attacks, with the healthcare service said to have been hit by over 11 million in the last three years.
The data for the number of attacks that were successfully blocked was at a staggering 11,352,000 in the last three years. Although we can be positive about the fact that these attacks are those that were successfully stopped, the figures show the significant number of attacks that are taking place, and how much of a target the public healthcare system is.
The NHS was one of the worst-hit victims of the 2017 WannaCry incident as well. With them being such a target, what can be done when successful cyber-attacks take place?
We represent people for police-related data incidents, and with this in mind, here’s a number of reasons as to why the recent Eurofins data breach is a worrying one.
In case you’ve not heard of this one, this relates to an organisation that the police outsource forensic work to. Eurofins reportedly process more than 70,000 cases per year, and deal with DNA analysis, toxicology, ballistics and computer forensics. As such, they can be at the heart of investigations into serious crimes, including murder, sexual offences and terrorism.
Worryingly, they were recently hit by a ransomware attack. This has led to a number of concerns about the security and quality of the work they carry out, and has caused significant disruption to police investigations.
The recent record-setting British Airways and Marriott fines that are to be enforced by regulators show the importance of cybersecurity to prevent breaches, and justice for the victims when an incident occurs.
What we saw was two major organisations whose systems were breached when we should be able to expect big corporations to protect our data. We should be able to safely assume that these large, wealthy organisations can – and will – invest in solid cybersecurity. But both have undoubtedly fallen short, and the result is huge fines and claims for compensation for the victims.
The levels of the provisional fines to be enforced shows how seriously the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is taking breaches of GDPR. The compensation actions that we represent people for are the way forward when it comes to justice for victims, which is not accounted for as part of regulatory fines.
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