We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
Educational institutions have been targeted by cyberattacks with increasing frequency in the past few months, so the risk to the private information that is held by schools appears to be pronounced. In this climate of hacks and ransomware, it is important that high schools are doing everything they possibly can to protect the sensitive information of students, staff and parents, or there could be an increasing number of high school data breaches.
All schools hold a wealth of information about their pupils, from home addresses to medical information. It is important that teachers can access these details when necessary for the purposes of safeguarding and student welfare, but this also means that schools have an obligation to manage and process this information securely.
If you or your child has been affected by a high school data breach, you may be eligible to make a data breach claim for any harm caused. Where schools are responsible for the exposure of private information, they must be held accountable. Claiming compensation can be a route to ensuring that justice is achieved.
Educational establishments commonly hold a wealth of information about their students, often to meet safeguarding requirements, or to ensure teachers have an appreciation of children’s personal circumstances. Such information can be valuable in providing care and support to students, yet it can also represent a security risk if organisations are not doing enough to protect this information. Due to the sensitivity of the information held, data breaches by schools and universities can be particularly harmful to those affected.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals also recognise the value of pupil and student data, seeing educational institutions as prime targets for hacks. The National Cyber Security Centre released an alert earlier this year revealing that the education sector was at an increased risk of ransomware attacks in late February, which is important to note.
With external threats to the sector high, it is essential that schools and universities are doing their utmost to protect personal information. Where they fail to do so, victims may be able to claim compensation for any loss of control of their personal information.
It has been reported that a promotional Sky Vegas email has landed in the inboxes of people using self-exclusion and/or GamStop services for well-being protection and for gambling addiction.
Although news of the incident has only just broken, based on what we know so far, we consider this to be a serious breach that we are able to assist victims with. Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – is a leading firm of data and consumer action specialists, representing thousands of people for privacy claims. We have launched over 50 group and multi-party actions and recovered over £1m in data compensation to date for mainly individual clients.
We are here to help, and anyone registered for self-exclusion who received the Sky Vegas email could be entitled to pursue a No Win, No Fee compensation claim now.
If you have been affected by a workplace data leak, you may be eligible to claim compensation for the exposure of your private information.
Employers are often required to request and store a wealth of information about their employees, but this comes with an obligation to ensure that it remains secure and protected from unauthorised access. Where workplaces have failed to adhere to data protection laws, those who have had their information leaked may be able to recover compensation.
Your Lawyers, as leading specialists in data leak claims, is more than familiar with the worries and stresses many victims suffer in the wake of data breaches. Those who have faced information exposure in their own workplace can often be uncertain about what action they can take, worrying about the friction they could face from their employer when making a claim. We can assure you that we take all the stresses of a data breach claim off your hands and it is your right to make a claim. Read on to learn more about how you could be able to make a workplace data breach claim.
A member of the public recently alerted the media to a police email data breach that is understood to have occurred at Dorset police. Revealing details of an alleged hate crime incident, the email came as a shock to the recipient, who could not understand how and why he had received the private information.
At Your Lawyers – the Data Leak Lawyers – as leading privacy claims lawyers, we have seen far too much information exposure caused by email errors. There are basic security barriers and procedures that can prevent such mistakes from occurring. However, unfortunately, many public sector organisations continue to commit needless data protection errors.
The police have specific data access privileges, giving them the right to process and store highly sensitive personal information for the purposes of detecting and fighting crime. It is, therefore, vital that the police ensure they are doing their utmost to protect personal data. Where they fail to abide by their legal duties, they could be forced to issue compensation pay-outs to those affected. It is important that all members of the public feel safe when disclosing their information to the police.
We are now two years on from the revelation about the serious Charing Cross Gender Clinic data leak, and we continue to represent victims for compensation claims.
Although our action is now at an advanced stage, given how long ago the email data breaches took place, do not worry if you have yet to start a claim – there is still time. However, we just strongly urge anyone affected to start their claim as a matter of urgency to avoid missing out on the three-year rule for claiming personal injury damages in a data breach compensation case. For anyone who has suffered significantly, which we understand given the nature of the breaches, higher-level awards can be caught by the personal injury time limits. Generally speaking, you must have either settled a legal case or issued legal proceedings before the deadline expires, so there really isn’t much time left at all.
Make sure you sign-up to join the legal action and avoid missing out on the chance to claim damages as a victim of this serious and sensitive leak of personal information
Many fall into the trap of regarding human errors and cyberattacks as distinct causes of data breaches but, in many cases, they can be closely linked. In fact, human errors can leave data controllers vulnerable to cyberattacks. Where private information has been unjustly put at risk, the organisation responsible may have breached data protection law.
Unfortunately, third-party data controllers may try to blame their negligence on the increasing sophistication of cybercrime, but we believe that they must be held accountable for any mistakes. If you have fallen victim to a data breach as a result of the actions of a third party, you may be entitled to claim compensation for the harm caused.
Neither human errors nor cyberattacks should be brushed to the side as unfortunate accidents, and you deserve justice for the exposure of your personal data. Your Lawyers, as leading Data Leak Lawyers, are here to help you now.
In June 2018, the Shurgard data breach came to our attention, and we began to advise those affected by the incident. It was found that an internal error had led to personal information about employees being mistakenly shared, allegedly with all employees in the company.
It may seem that internal company data breaches are not as severe as those that provoke widespread public data exposure but, in fact, incidents such as these can be highly serious for those affected. Data protection errors must be avoided in all circumstances, as even the most basic of mistakes can have harmful implications.
All businesses and organisations in possession of personal data have a legal obligation to protect this information to the best of their abilities. Where they fail to meet this obligation, it can constitute a breach of data protection law. Those affected by the Shurgard data breach, or any other incident like this, may have a right to recover compensation for a data breach incident. To hear more about your potential right to claim, contact our specialist data breach team for free, no-obligation advice.
In the worst cases, data breaches can involve highly sensitive information, compromising the privacy and safety of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. In particular, social services breaches often affect the most vulnerable victims, leaving them open to even more risks than they already face.
Generally run by local councils, social services offer support to their local communities, whether this is providing assistance for people with disabilities, running care homes, or setting up domestic abuse support groups. While social services are absolutely essential to ensuring the safety and well-being of the people under their care, this protection can break down when a data breach occurs.
Anyone who has been let down by a social services data breach may be able to claim compensation for the harm caused.
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.
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