Data breach victims held to ransom by cybercriminals

When personal information is exposed in a data breach, it can leave those affected vulnerable to the underground network of cybercriminals. Personal data is one of the most valuable assets circulating on the dark web, with thousands upon thousands of private records exposed each year. In the worst of cases, data exposure can cause victims to be held to ransom by cybercriminals.

As such, it is vital that companies in possession of personal information take all the precautions needed to protect it. Where they fail to do so, they are not only letting victims down, but they are also putting them at a real risk of financial loss.

Unfortunately, Virgin Media is one of many companies to have put personal data at risk, failing to protect the information of as many as 900,000 people, most of whom were their own customers. We believe that all these victims may have had their right to data protection denied by Virgin Media, which is why we are taking on compensation claims in our group action against the company.

The risks of data exposure – held to ransom by cybercriminals

Whether it is stolen in a targeted hack or subjected to unauthorised access due to a cybersecurity vulnerability, data exposed in a security incident can reach the hands of cybercriminals. Personal data is valued highly by cybercriminals, for whom it represents a route to financial gain. As such, it can circulate widely on the dark web, with some hackers deciding to sell on stolen data to fraudsters.

One of the methods used to extort money from data breach victims is that of ransom demands. Hackers can decide to use the stolen data as ammunition, blackmailing their victims with the threat of publicising their private information. Victims who are held to ransom by cybercriminals could then be presented with the choice of either having their sensitive details exposed, or paying out potentially huge sums to the criminals threatening them.

Ransom demands have the potential to be more effective where the victims have more at stake. For example, where sensitive medical records are involved, the victims may be even more afraid at the prospect of their data being published online.

Claiming for the effects of data breaches

The important characteristic of data breach claims is that your compensation pay-out can be proportionate to the degree of suffering caused. As such, where you have been held to ransom by cybercriminals due to a data breach, and have suffered financial loss because of it, you could be compensated for this loss as part of your claim.

In the case of the Virgin Media data breach, it may be rare for victims to have been held to ransom by cybercriminals due to the nature of the data exposed, but they may still have been targeted with scams due to the exposure of their contact details. We can factor any cases of fraud into our compensation claims.

Join the Virgin Media group action

If you were notified of your involvement in the Virgin Media data breach, now is the time to make a compensation claim. We can offer No Win, No Fee representation to eligible claimants, and with our years of experience in data breach claims and group actions, you can be sure that we have the expertise needed to bring your claim.

You can use our online sign-up form to begin your claim today.

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