Category: No Win No Fee
The Virgin Media data leak and what 2021 holds
The Virgin Media data leak was one of many that took place in 2020 as we continue to see a huge surge in breaches and cyberattacks taking place.
We are now more than two years on from the introduction of the GDPR that ought to have acted as a clear deterrent to avoid these kinds of avoidable data leaks taking place. Despite the power of the new regulations, we continue to see a substantial number of breaches, and we are left wondering if the situation will ever relent.
One key thing to know is that the GDPR can empower victims of a data breach to be able to claim compensation. Although the deterrent element of the law may not be working as effectively as it should be, the power for consumers to take action remains in place.
Compensation claims for corporate data breach victims – Virgin Media
It is important for corporate data breach victims to make a compensation claim. In the case of the Virgin Media data breach, we are fighting for justice for a large group of victims on a No Win, No Fee basis.
Many victims may not know that they can even make a claim, or they may be scared to take on huge corporations. That’s where we can help – we know the distress and upset that can be caused when your personal information is involved in a data breach, which is why we take claims forward on a No Win, No Fee basis for eligible clients.
Corporate data breach victims, such as the 900,000 victims of the Virgin Media data breach, can be legally entitled to make compensation claims. When corporations breach data protection laws, it is your right to claim compensation and hold the corporation to account; to bring justice for yourself and for the other victims. By making compensation claims, you can also help to make sure that the company takes data breaches seriously in the hopes that they put systems in place to prevent further breaches as well.
How to prevent data breaches
When it comes to data security, it is vital that companies know how to prevent data breaches and put all the correct systems in place to do so.
In cases of huge data breaches that could have been prevented, such as the Virgin Media data breach, it is important that the organisation is held to account for their actions and that they are encouraged to put preventative measures in place. Really, it should not happen in the first place all, but we cannot stop companies having a lax attitude to data security.
Our job is to hold organisations to account for their irresponsibility in the hopes that said organisations will take data security seriously in the future, and to make sure victims get some form of justice. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is responsible for assessing a breach and implementing fines, but we are responsible for taking data breach compensation claims forward and getting victims the justice that victims deserve.
Be wary of fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees
If you are one of the 900,000 victims affected by the Virgin Media data breach, it is vital that you watch out for scams. You could be targeted by fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees who are attempting to successfully scam you with cold calls and phishing emails.
The Virgin Media data breach affected 900,000 victims, with the majority being broadband and landline customers and a smaller percentage being Virgin Mobile customers. The breach was discovered by an independent security researcher TurgenSec who then informed Virgin Media. The telecoms giant has since stated the breach was a result of an ‘incorrectly configured’ database.
If you have been affected by this data breach, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim today for the distress caused by the loss of control of your personal information. You could also claim for financial losses incurred as a result of the breach, or from scams from fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees if this has happened and it is linked directly to the breach event.
Are data breaches inevitable?
With the seemingly large amount of recent data breaches and cases of hackers accessing private information, you may be wondering: are data breaches inevitable?
This article will briefly explore exactly how preventable data breaches can be.
A recent example of a serious data breach is the Virgin Media Data breach which affected 900,000 victims. The victims had their personal data exposed online for a ten-month period between April 2019 and 28th February 2020, with at least one unknown third-party accessing the information during the breach period. This breach stemmed from an ‘incorrectly configured’ database as a result of employee error.
Considering this case, are data breaches inevitable when simple errors take place? The breach could have been prevented if the employee had correctly configured the database, so the answer appears to be a resounding yes.
Virgin Media data breach compensation amounts
Victims of the Virgin Media data breach could be eligible to claim up to £5,000 in data breach compensation amounts.
The Virgin Media breach is prime an example of a sizeable and well-respected company not taking data security seriously, in our view. The number of people involved in the breach is shocking, and the only way to hold Virgin Media to account is if victims claim compensation and hold the company to account for their actions. This is also the way in which victims can seek the justice that they deserve.
We are currently taking claims forward for victims of the Virgin Media data breach and are encouraging anyone affected to join our claim. We already represent a large number of victims and we are ready to help you. We have years of experience dealing with data breach claims and actions, and we have helped thousands of victims claim millions in damages across all of our multi-party and group action cases.
Data breaches see hackers selling stolen records
Hackers selling stolen records is a real risk, and criminals can profit from data breaches like we saw in the Virgin Media case in a variety of ways.
One of the main reasons that hackers target data records is because of the possibly huge pay-out they could get. Those particularly targeted are hospitals and large companies – anywhere that holds valuable information and has enough money to pay a ransom could be targeted.
However, in cases of data breaches that are not down to cybercriminals, it is still possible for the leaked data to be targeted. In the Virgin Media data breach which affected over 900,000 customers, the exposed information could be misused by criminals. Customers saw their names, email addresses, telephone numbers and, in some cases, links to explicit and pornographic websites being exposed online. This information could be valuable to hackers who could then target victims for profit.
The GDPR and compensation claims for the Virgin Media data breach
Victims of the Virgin Media data breach are being urged to step forward and use the GDPR and compensation claims process before it is too late.
Your Lawyers has launched a Virgin Media Data Breach Group Action claim and is representing a large group of victims for the incident. We encourage anyone who has yet to sign-up for a legal case to join and use the GDPR and compensation claims process now to receive some form of justice for what they have endured.
The Virgin Media data breach stemmed from an ‘incorrectly configured’ database as a result of employee error, which left 900,000 victims’ data exposed online for a ten-month period. The data was made available between April 2019 and February 2020. After further investigation, it was found that the database had been accessed by an unknown third party at least once during this breach period.
Risks of reusing passwords can leave you vulnerable to cyberattacks
There are many risks of reusing passwords, all of which can make you more vulnerable to cyberattacks. When serious data breaches occur and your personal information is exposed, victims who reuse passwords can be at a greater at risk of being targeted by cybercriminals.
For example, with the Virgin Media data breach, names, email addresses, and telephone numbers have been exposed in the breached. With criminals potentially having access to this information, they may be able to hack into accounts or attempt email phishing scams, or cold call scams. This will usually be to get personal information from the victims so they can access more of their online accounts. In this case, the risks of reusing passwords could be extremely high, leaving people at high risk of fraudulent activity.
Have you been affected by Virgin Media’s confidential data breach?
It is important to note that, if you have been affected by Virgin Media’s confidential data breach, you could be eligible to claim compensation now.
It is extremely important for the victims affected to step forward and make a claim to hold Virgin Media responsible for this preventable event. In the digital age, data security is of the utmost importance to any company, and a data breach of this scale highlights the need for proper security systems and employee training to be in place.
It seems that this confidential data breach could have been prevented if Virgin Media employees were better trained, and they had more effective systems and procedures in place. We have launched the Virgin Media data breach Group Action claim – if you have been affected, now is the time to join.
