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.
A report has revealed that a recent Birmingham City Council data breach incident has taken place after private information was mistakenly published online.
It is alleged that the exposed data included the details of “vulnerable children”, although this has reportedly been disputed by the local authority. The council said that a number of citizens were affected, but has yet to confirm just how many people were affected.
The Birmingham City Council data breach appears to be yet another example of the human error data breaches we have seen occur at local authorities time and time again. As advocates of data security, we believe that there is never an excuse for errors such as this, as everyone has the right to have their private data kept safe. In many cases, victims of data breaches can be eligible to claim compensation for any harm caused. This may also be a possibility for those affected by the breach at Birmingham City Council.
In what is continuing to be a common trend for local government authorities, the recent Blackpool Council data leak has seen the exposure of personal data belonging to hundreds of individuals.
The issue has been labelled as a so-called accidental “human error” incident. A data handling mistake reportedly resulted in the details of about 428 people being made public, when the data should have remained private.
Occurring within months of our coverage of the Hackney Council cyberattack and the Bristol City Council data leak, this breach unfortunately comes as no shock to us. It probably comes as no shock to anyone who has become familiar with recurring patterns of council data leaks in general. Inadequate data protection practices at so many local councils means that this is a nationwide problem. We are here to help anyone affected by data breaches like this, striving to win them the compensation they deserve.
If you are ever affected by a data breach or cybersecurity incident caused by a third-party organisation whom you entrusted your information to, it is important that you know what your rights are in the fallout of such an incident. It may feel difficult to stand up to a huge company or local authority, but if a third party has failed to protect personal data, they should be held responsible for their reckless attitude to data protection.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we have been fighting for the rights of data breach victims for many years, aiming to bring justice for the damage that victims have suffered from. Organisations must stand up and take their data protection duties seriously. If they fail to do so, they should be punished as they would be under other areas of the law.
Another travel industry data breach has recently hit the headlines, with the popular airline IT provider SITA suffering a monumental cyberattack. The SITA data breach is thought to have exposed information belonging to hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Among the affected airlines are those owned by Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline group, and British Airways is also affected. Some of the thousands of clients that we represent for the 2018 BA data breaches have already come forward for our assistance.
The travel industry has been plagued by data breaches, with companies such as Marriott and easyJet falling prey to significant hacks in recent years. The wealth of information that is held by airlines and travel companies makes them prime targets for cybercriminals, and the effects can be devastating for those affected.
It is unsurprising that bank account information and credit or debit card details are among the most sought-after types of data for cybercriminals. This is due to financial motives many hackers have when they carry out cybercrimes. Payment card fraud is, therefore, one of the most significant risks of data breaches, and can occur in many different ways.
If fraudsters gain access to your money, it can be very difficult to recover stolen funds directly. At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we aim to hold the other guilty party to account in data breach cases, as a leading firm of data breach solicitors. In many instances, it is not just the criminal who is responsible for a data breach, but a third-party organisation may also be at fault if they failed to sufficiently protect personal data, and that is how criminals gained access to the details for you.
When a data leak occurs, affected victims often worry about the financial details that may have been accessed, fearing that criminals may use their bank or card details to commit theft or fraud. However, it is vital that we do not forget the damage that can be done with exposed identity documents as well.
With identity details, criminals are given tools with which to gain further access to your life and your private information. You could be put in an incredibly risky situation when a third party leaks your data. Organisations have a duty to protect your personal information and should always be held accountable if they fail to prevent its exposure.
At Your Lawyers – the Data Leak Lawyers – we have been handling these kinds of data leak cases for years, and are here to advise anyone who has had their identity documents exposed.
Although data breach claims are becoming an increasingly established and important area of legal expertise, trusted data breach lawyers can still be few and far between.
There are some inexperienced firms trying to capitalise on the trend of data breach cases, claiming to have expertise that they do not possess. This is something to watch out for, and it is disappointing to see so many inexperienced companies and disreputable scammers taking advantage of claimants for gain.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we have a long-established reputation for handling data breach cases. We are currently sitting on the Steering Committee responsible for conducting the first GDPR group action case in the UK, against British Airways. We have been fighting for the rights of data breach victims as far back 2014, which is a great deal longer than most other firms.
Many people unfortunately fell victim to identity fraud in 2020. It was another year that has been plagued by data breaches, leaks and hacks, with an increase that was widely attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.
With public awareness of identity fraud also on the rise, many consumers are increasingly concerned about their online security; and with good reason. At the Data Leak Lawyers, as a leading firm of data compensation experts, we see businesses failing to protect their customers’ data time and time again. The sheer quantity of data breaches in 2020 means that we have launched several new actions over the past year.
The New Year’s Honours List is published at the end of every year to recognise the achievements of some of the most successful and influential people in our country. As such, the New Year’s Honours data breach at the end of 2019 was a significant blot on this celebratory event.
In an accidental leak, the addresses of over 1,000 award recipients were published online.
As the turn into 2021 marked just over a year since the leak occurred, we wish to notify victims that they still have a right to claim compensation. We are already taking legal action following the leak, as all organisations must be held accountable for failures to protect private data. Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – is here to help any victims of data breaches at all times.
Although the industry has, unfortunately, had quiet year in 2020, it seems this fact has not lessened their risk of travel and leisure data breaches.
Travel and leisure breaches have been prominent in the news with the revelation that companies including Expedia and Booking.com have been affected by a large-scale breach, after their partner Prestige Software failed to password-protect a database containing millions of customers’ booking details. Among the exposed details were guests’ names, phone numbers, email addresses and payment details, inducing risks of both blackmail and fraud.
As the travel and leisure industries continue to be a prime target of hackers, it is important to evaluate the scale of the impact, and to consider why these companies succumb to breaches again and again.
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
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