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.
Hospitals and doctors’ surgeries host visits from large numbers of patients every day, and are treated as places of safety and refuge for those with health issues. Unfortunately, despite the fact that patient-doctor confidentiality is a principle at the heart of the medical profession, some hospitals and healthcare sector organisations are letting down the patients who trust them by failing to protect private data.
We constantly hear how much strain the NHS is under, but the lack of resources and staff is not often seen from the perspective of cybersecurity and data protection. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, NHS staff were put under even greater pressure to meet the demands of controlling the virus and, in some cases, data protection has been further neglected.
It is essential that healthcare organisations see data protection as a high priority, or they risk exposing patient data, as has already been the case in many previous healthcare data breaches. Whether it is a case of government funding or internal organisational issues, all healthcare organisations must step up and meet the challenge of the ongoing, and increasing, cybersecurity risks that they face.
In the digital era, private information is stored not only in filing cabinets and on computer hard drives, but also on cloud storage systems. Cloud computing is a key component of many businesses’ digital operations, meaning that many of the companies to which you have disclosed your personal information may choose to store it in a cloud database. When correctly operated, cloud storage systems can be nice and secure but, if not, cloud data leaks can occur, and your data may be at risk of becoming accessible online to unauthorised third parties.
Businesses must take care to implement appropriate security provisions when storing private data in the cloud. Unfortunately, many fail in their data protection responsibilities, leaving your information vulnerable to misuse.
If you have fallen victim to a data breach, you may be able to claim compensation for any harm caused to you. We strongly believe that your data security should never be compromised by a third party, which is why we help victims of data breaches to achieve the justice that they deserve.
Whenever an employee joins a company, they are usually required to disclose a variety of personal details for the purposes of workplace records. In many cases, this data is taken for the employee’s safety, with details such as family contact numbers and health condition information allowing employers to act appropriately in the event of an emergency. However, holding such sensitive information can pose many risks to employees if it becomes exposed. In fact, if they have poor data protection measures, companies risk making their employees vulnerable to workplace discrimination from a data breach if something happens.
Employers have a legal obligation to protect the information of their employees, so they can be held liable when a data breach does occur. We aim to bring victims of data breaches the justice they deserve, so contact us for advice if your personal information has been exposed in your place of work.
With so many NHS employees and resources devoted to suppressing the spread of Covid-19, data security concerns have inadvertently been pushed to one side by healthcare organisations in 2020 in some cases.
It is believed that cybercriminals took advantage of this gap in data protection by launching more attacks on hospitals and other public health organisations. Meanwhile, human error has continued to be a contributing factor, causing several notable healthcare breaches in 2020 also.
The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly laid bare the security risks faced by healthcare organisations. Though cyberattack attempts have likely increased during the Covid-19 crisis, healthcare organisations have always been prime targets for cybercriminals, given the sensitivity of the information they hold. As such, the same risks will confront them in the years to come if changes are not made.
We have witnessed first-hand the damage that can be caused by data breaches in our support for the victims. Anyone who has suffered the effects of healthcare data breaches, or any other kind of data breach, may be able to claim compensation for the harm caused.
Councils are often in possession of extensive personal information pertaining to their employees and their residents. Often, councils keep sensitive information belonging to residents in receipt of benefit payments, or to those who have made payments to them, whether this is for a parking fine or for council tax. Council payment data breaches can arise when any information relating to payments to or from residents is exposed.
The wealth of information available at councils can make them prime targets for hackers, but it also means that any human error data breaches caused by employees can have severe implications. For the victims, data exposure can provoke an emotional and financial impact, which is why we help those affected to claim compensation for the harm caused to them.
Each and every third-party data controller has a duty to protect the data entrusted to their care, and they can be held accountable under the law when this duty is neglected. Your Lawyers, as leading data protection lawyers, know what it takes to hold organisations to justice.
A health data breach can have substantial repercussions, both for the healthcare organisation involved and the victims affected. As human error mistakes continue to be made internally, the external cybersecurity threat for healthcare organisations has been reported to be on the rise, meaning that there is immense pressure for these organisations to step up their data protection policies.
The sophistication of modern-day cybercrime simply allows no room for error when it comes to data protection. Unfortunately, as leading specialists in data breach law, we see the same mistakes being made time and time again, which is why we believe it is important to hold organisations to account when they fail to protect personal data.
If you have been caused distress or loss by a health data breach, do not hesitate to contact us for advice on your potential claim.
While it may be difficult to believe that such a needless mistake can breach data protection law, countless data breaches have arisen as a result of files sent to the wrong address. Over email or by post, a minute error like this can allow an unauthorised third party to view personal information which they should never have seen.
The mistake alone can constitute a data protection breach, but further problems can arise when the recipient of the files has malicious intentions. In many cases, the recipient may delete or destroy the files upon request, but not everyone is a good citizen. Sending errors can pose several opportunities for data misuse, such as identity theft, fraud and scams.
As leading specialists in data protection law, we believe that the impact of a data breach should never be underestimated. As such, however small a breach may seem, the data controller responsible should be held accountable for their actions. If you have been affected by a data breach, you may be eligible to make a compensation claim.
In February last year, the Financial Conduct Authority data breach hit the news after the regulator was forced to admit that it had inadvertently exposed confidential consumer information.
The breach represented a humiliating blunder for the FCA, a government watchdog that regulates the UK financial services sector.
Indeed, as an authority that frequently investigates the security and data handling of other organisations, there was an embarrassing irony to the incident for the FCA. Although the data breach took place a year ago, any affected victims may still be eligible to claim compensation. We are still taking on claims, so contact us for advice about your potential claim.
A huge volume of data breaches in recent years were caused by human error, and the frequency with which such breaches happen does not seem to be lessening. A human error GDPR breach can be no less serious than a mass cyberattack. In fact, it can be due to the mistake or overall negligence of employees that data hacks are allowed to occur in the first place.
In either scenario, vast amounts of information can end up being exposed.
It is simply unacceptable that failing to carry out basic data protection procedures is still a primary culprit of data leaks, even in today’s digital world. Data protection guidelines have been enshrined in law for many years now, and the GDPR should have further moved organsations to repair any holes in their defences, yet human error continues to provoke data breaches. Anyone who has fallen victim to such a data breach may be eligible to claim compensation for any damage caused to them, so contact us if you would like to be advised on your right to claim.
Just over one year has passed since the Watford Community Housing email leak, in which thousands of tenants’ personal information was exposed. The data was leaked as a result of an email sent on 23rd March 2020, to which a spreadsheet containing a list of all 3,545 tenants was accidentally attached.
Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – as a leading firm of specialist data compensation lawyers, believe that victims of the email leak have been affected by a significant breach of their right to data protection. This is why we have been taking on compensation claims on behalf of the victims, and we now represent a large group of victims affected by the incident.
If you were also affected by the data breach, it is not too late to start your claim, so contact us to receive advice on your case. It does not matter that the breach was brought about by an accidental email error, as all data breach victims can still be entitled to access justice, regardless of the circumstances. Given the progress of our cases so far, we remain confident in achieving a successful outcome.
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British Airways data breach: How to claim up to £6,000 compensation
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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
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