We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
A recent Charnwood council data breach incident has been reported to the UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The victims of the data breach have also been informed as to what has happened, and the local authority has apologised for the breach.
This is another case of private information being accidentally uploaded online. We represent a large number of people who are claiming for council data breach compensation because of how often incidents can happen, and accidental leaks are unfortunately common. This latest incident doesn’t come as a surprise to us, but it ought to have been prevented in the first place.
You may be entitled to make a claim for compensation if you are the victim of a human error data breach incident.
In fact, some of the biggest group action and individual cases we’re fighting for justice in were caused by simple human errors. Many of the human errors committed are preventable, and it’s this key factor that means you can be entitled to make a claim.
Don’t assume that you can’t claim because a person is responsible (or partially responsible) for a data breach. The organisations who employee people can be vicariously liable for the actions of their employee. This means that the blame can be squarely with the employer!
The Windrush data breach incident that happened on 7th April 2019 has forced changes to be adopted by the Home Office following the leak of information surrounding the compensation scheme.
Earlier this month, mass emails were sent out to people taking part in the Windrush compensation scheme, as well as other interested parties. Emails were reportedly sent out in batches of 100, and the first five batches are understood to have resulted in a data breach. Yet again, this was another case where recipients of the email could see each other’s information.
This kind of incident has happened so many times before, and it triggered one of the more severe compensation actions we’re involved ion; the 56 Dean Street Clinic leak. Changes are now set to be made.
A study by software giants Symantec has suggested that hotels leaking data is a far more common problem than most people may think.
Their research has indicated that as many as two out of three hotels are leaking data. The data being leaked includes names, email addresses, credit card information and passport information. This kind of data is more than enough for fraudsters and cybercriminals to do some serious damage.
Some 1,500 websites were analysed across 54 different countries as part of the study. This news comes just months after the monumental Marriott data breach that remains fresh in our minds.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a fine of £400,000.00 having concluded their investigations into the significant Bounty data breach.
We’ve already been contacted for help and taken claims for data breach compensation forward on a No Win, No Fee basis since news of the fine broke in the media. As many as 14 million individuals may have had their personal data shared, including new mothers and infants by extension.
The ICO has established that Bounty failed to properly inform users that their data would be shared for marketing purposes. The findings also confirmed that no one was able to give proper and informed consent as well.
The Bristol council data breach incident that was reported last week is understood to have affected thousands of residents.
The incident was yet another case of an avoidable data breach that has been caused by what appears to be a simple error. We see these kinds of leaks all the time, and they’re not the first council to have committed a breach just like it.
One of the most severe data breach group actions we’re running stemmed from an incident that’s exactly the same as this one. The damage that can be caused from a simple email error that leads to a leak can be substantial. A large volume of the cases we deal with are for council data breach compensation claims. They really are awfully common.
It’s understood that a Bromford data breach incident occurred last year after the housing association accidentally sent letters to the old addresses for hundreds of tenants.
News of the breach comes from the media outlet Inside Housing. The error appears to be linked to some form of system issue where the old addresses for some tenants was copied into a new system. Some 30,000 letters were then sent to tenants in relation to rent reviews, and it’s believed that 253 of them were sent to the wrong (old) address.
After concerned tenants contacted the company about issues receiving their letters, the mistake was discovered. By then, the damage had already been done.
There’s been an avoidable Rotherham Council data leak, the likes of which is not an uncommon type of data incident, particularly for a local authority.
Almost 900 people are reportedly affected by the leak, with victims calling the incident “extremely serious” and worrying about the possibilities of falling victim to crime.
One of the most common types of legal cases we run are claims for council data breach compensation. In fact, a huge proportion of the individual cases we’re fighting for justice in involve local authority services. This incident, unfortunately, is unsurprising to hear about.
An issue that has led to a number of NHS fax data breach incidents has been reported, after mix-ups with a similar fax number has led to information going astray.
NHS data breach compensation cases are some of the more common types of claims our expert team help people with. A lot of the data breaches are caused by such simple errors that can be easily avoided. Despite this, they happen way too frequently.
The news of the fax mix ups is another example of this and comes to light after the accidental recipients of the data contacted NHS England about the incidents.
The NHS fax data breach issue reportedly stems from GP surgeries and pharmacies accidentally sending data to the wrong number. The number they have been sending information to in some cases belongs to a hotel group who has then been receiving the faxes incorrectly.
Some of the data that has been sent to the wrong fax number includes medication requests, certificates and dispensing vouchers.
It’s understood that the fax number for the hotel group is similar to the ones used to send information within the healthcare system. The hotel group has notified the Corporate Information Governance Team for NHS England.
As a result of these NHS fax data breach issues, NHS England has reportedly reminded GP surgeries and pharmacies about the importance of checking numbers. As some have recently called for a move away from faxes and pagers within the NHS, it’s claimed that this fax system is apparently the only way of sending this data within the healthcare system.
It sounds like something needs to change.
Any medical data breach can cause a huge amount of distress to the victims. When we see these simple errors over incredibly personal and sensitive data, it’s clear to us that more needs to be done.
As a firm of lawyers who specialise in data leak cases, we know how bad a breach can be for the victim. It’s important for these simple and avoidable data breaches are stamped out.
Greater Facebook regulation is looking imminent after a year-long inquiry that included issues over the misuse of personal data.
The inquiry, launched in-part after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, comes after a spate of recent data breach incidents involving the social medial platform. The recommendations made by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee include an independent regulator to oversee tech firms like Facebook.
It’s not been an easy process judging from the remarks of MPs and others involved with the inquiry. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, didn’t even come to the UK to answer questions himself, which has reportedly caused a stir.
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