We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
In the UK last year, the coronavirus pandemic caused us to lead more and more of both our personal and professional lives online. As such, the risk of fraud from data breaches has heightened.
In 2020, The Daily Express reported that one in five people (equating to around 11 million) had their data hacked, and one in three reported that they are unequipped to protect their online data. This is a shocking number of victims which, in our view, is indicative of a national crisis in cybercrime. It undoubtedly reveals that large-scale action needs to be taken.
Indeed, the shocking nature of such statistics is part of the problem, as experts (ourselves included) cite low awareness as a key reason why the number of victims has been allowed to reach this horrifying height. The vice-president of Clario, the body which compiled the research in association with thinktank Demos, highlighted that victims seem to “think they should suffer in silence”.
According to recent media reports, a large number of psychotherapy patients, who belong to the same large clinic in Finland, found themselves on the receiving end of blackmail from a data breach.
Vastaamo, a countrywide practice, appears to have been targeted in two separate breaches, one potentially occurring in March 2019, and an initial attack as far back as November 2018. It appears that victims’ personal data was stolen from the company’s data storage system.
Although this is not a case we can represent people for, with it not being in England or Wales, it is an important one to consider. Ultimately, the risks – as we often advise – when it comes to this kind of data breach can be severe.
In the case of the recent Transform Hospital Group data breach, the large cosmetic surgery chain has been targeted by hackers who seem to be aiming to extort money from the company.
The group has not yet given a number for how many customers have been affected, but the data exposed is reported to be extensive. The inclusion of ‘before and after’ surgery photos has been a cause of particular concern among the victims, who fear they may be published on the internet.
For anyone involved in a data leak, the impact of having your information exposed can be devastating. In some of the worst of cases, the privacy of the information exposed can make the aftermath a deeply upsetting time. We have already taken on clients who have been affected by the Transform Hospital Group data breach, so do not hesitate to contact us if you would like advice regarding your potential compensation claim.
As pressure mounts on the airline, a British Airways data breach settlement is on the cards as the legal representatives of BA alert the court of their intentions to engage in negotiations.
The breaking news of this development comes from leading consumer action and data breach firm Your Lawyers, with wide coverage so far with major media outlets including The Sun and The Mirror. Your Lawyers, who sit on the Steering Committee responsible for the overall conduct of the litigation, declare that this is a massive step forward. This could signal the start of the end of the action that is now entering its third year, and it could represent an incredibly significant compensation pay-out bill that could reach up to £2.4 billion to be shared between over 400,000 victims if all initiate a claim.
The announcement signifies what we always believed should have been on the horizon. A settlement could effectively draw a line under the serious 2018 data breach that shocked the world. We urge victims who have yet to claim to come forward to start their case before the deadline to claim expires soon.
Suffering the impact of a data breach at Christmas is something we are used to helping people with on a No Win, No Fee basis.
This is the time of year when data breach numbers can increase as more people go online to spend in time for the big day. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, more of our shopping is now online anyway, and the dangers of breaches, leaks and hacks are evident.
If you suffer from a data breach, you should never suffer in silence. Here is how we can help you.
We have been approached for advice and have agreed to take forward No Win, No Fee compensation claims for those affected by the People’s Energy data breach.
News of the People’s Energy data breach has just broken in the media following the discovery of the cyberattack yesterday. We have already been approached for help and have agreed to take legal action now – if you have received confirmation that you are affected, please do not hesitate to contact our team for free, no-obligation advice now.
As a leading firm of data breach compensation lawyers, we are often approached immediately by victims when a new cyberattack or data leak emerges. Representing thousands of clients, having launched over 45 data breach group actions, we are ready to take claims for this new breach forward now for anyone based in England and Wales.
In November 2020, Manchester United was targeted by cybercriminals. The Manchester United cyberattack came as a shock to fans, with some worried that games could be postponed.
However, the club has spoken out and said that they were ‘confident’ that no critical systems required for the upcoming matches were breached and the games went on safely.
It appears that, in this case, information has not been exposed, which is great to hear. When a system is breached, it can put victims of the breach in danger if personal information is at risk of exposure, and victims could be eligible to make a compensation claim relating to the severity of the breach.
The National Cyber Security Centre has issued an alert to education institutions over fears of increased cyber-attacks. It is predicted there will be more university and college cyberattacks this teaching year, which could be particularly harmful to students who are having to learn online this semester due to the coronavirus pandemic.
University and college cybercrimes often include a lot of ‘ransomware’ incidents where highly sensitive data is held and a ransom is demanded for payment to be issued for data to be decrypted or destroyed. Malicious software can be used to lock people out of their computer systems and cause whole organisations to grind to a halt.
As a leading, specialist data breach compensation law firm, we have years of experience in this field and we often help victims of a cyberattacks claim the compensation that they deserve. Where personal data is exposed, we can fight for the justice that victims are entitled to by law, and deserve as a victim of a breach event.
It has been reported that the Sandicliffe car dealership data breach occurred earlier this year in February and could possibly affect hundreds or thousands of people.
The data breach stemmed from a cyberattack that was a result of a phishing scam and it is currently unknown exactly how many people could have been affected. Information exposed could include personal and sensitive data such as financial information and medical details.
As a leading firm of data breach compensation specialists fighting for justice for thousands of victims in over 50 group and multi-party actions, we are offering No Win, No Fee legal support for anyone affected by the cyberattack.
If you have been affected by this breach, speak to a member of our team today for free and no-obligation advice here.
The Flagship Group cyberattack is still causing problems for the Norwich-based housing company with many of their systems and services still offline.
According to the company, they were hit by a major cyberattack on the 1st November, which took many of their systems offline and reduced their available services. To prevent further issues worsening, Flagship Group has taken further systems down, and it is understood that some systems have now been inaccessible for the week.
The BBC says that Flagship Homes own and manage 31,000 homes in England and employ over 1,200 people in their repairs, facilities, heating and maintenance departments. The numbers in terms of anyone who may be affected by the data breach are currently unknown, but these figures could mean that a substantial volume of information is at risk of exposure.
EasyJet admits data of nine million hacked
British Airways data breach: How to claim up to £6,000 compensation
Are you owed £5,000 for the Virgin Media data breach?
Virgin Media faces £4.5 BILLION in compensation payouts
BA customers given final deadline to claim compensation for data breach
Shoppers slam Morrisons after loyalty points stolen
Half a million customers can sue BA over huge data breach
Lawyers accuse BA of 'swerving responsibility' for data breach
The biggest data breaches of 2020
Fill out our quick call back form below and we'll contact you when you're ready to talk to us.