The true cost of a data breach

When all is said and done, the true cost of a data breach is worth avoiding for organisations as much as it should be recognised that they have a duty to protect people’s information.

It’s important that organisations are punished when they break the law, and it’s important that victims can access the justice that they deserve. That’s why we, as a leading consumer action and data breach compensation law firm, specialise in this complex and niche area of law. People have the right to seek justice and we can represent you on a No Win, No Fee basis for a legal case.

When you look at just how much it can cost to organisations financially, as well as to victims emotionally, it’s clear to see why avoiding a data breach is important.

The cost of a data breach in group actions

The cost of a data breach is so worth avoiding when you look at some of the big examples for group actions that we’re involved with. It’s not just about the fines issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), it’s also about the cost of compensation cases that victims have the right to pursue.

One of the most recent big data breach events that we’re pursuing a large compensation action for is the Virgin Media data breach. We’ve been speaking to the mainstream media over the last few weeks about our estimate that the total compensation bill for the 900,000 victims affected could hit up to £4.5bn. This is based on potential estimated individual pay-outs of up to £5,000.00 per victim.

In October 2019, the High Court of Justice gave the green light for the first GDPR Group Litigation Order (GLO) in England and Wales. This is the ground-breaking British Airways data breach action that we’re on the Steering Committee for. We previously spoke to the media about potential estimated pay-outs being in the region of £6,000.00 per person. As such, BA could be facing a compensation bill of up to an estimated £3bn. This dwarfs the notice of intention to fine that has been issued by the ICO in the sum of £183m.

Some security researchers previously suggested that BA could have avoided the scandal with a simple bug bounty that may have cost in the region of £10,000.00.

The cost for ransoms

A recent example of the cost of a data breach for a cyberattack comes with the Travelex ransomware attack that we reported on earlier this year.

Hackers locked down their systems and held them to ransom, resulting in huge problems for their customers. According to the Wall Street Journal, Travelex paid a ransom that’s equivalent to the sum of around $2.3 million. They’re not the first to pay out a ransom either, as it can be cheaper than meeting the potential greater costs in the long run or where data is then exposed.

In many cases, hackers will price their ransoms at an amount they know their target can afford. Although they’re engaging in illegal activity, it makes sense to work in a similar way that legitimate businesses do when it comes to the “pricing” of their ransoms.

The cost for victims

When we talk about the impact of these kinds of events, we must never forget the serious cost of a data breach for the victims.

Although there can be financial costs when money is stolen or lost, there’s also the cost in terms of how a data breach affects the victim. The loss of control of personal information can lead to substantial distress, which is something people can make a claim for. Data breach compensation amounts take into consideration the personal impact of this kind of loss which is a claimable thing.

We represent thousands of victims on a No Win, No Fee basis for this type of legal case, and we have been doing so for years; a lot longer than most other firms. Our advice is available for you now on a free and no-obligation basis, and all you need to do is contact the team here.

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