Companies are unprepared for cyberattacks
Recent high-profile data breaches like the Virgin Media data breach have highlighted how companies and organisations are unprepared for cyberattacks and preventing them from happening.
While the Virgin Media data breach did not arise from a cyberattack, and was due to information being left exposed, criminals use the same techniques security researchers do to find exposed information. As such, allowing so much information to be left exposed has led to victims being at risk of cyberattacks, and this shows a clear lack of preparedness.
It is vital that, in this digital age, organisations have adequate security measures and systems in place to prevent the inevitability of data breaches and hacks.
Dangers of being unprepared for cyberattacks
When companies are unprepared for cyberattacks, they can be easily targeted by hackers and cybercriminals for data breaches. The organisation could be more likely to suffer data leaks as a result of their employees as well, like with the Virgin Media data breach event.
When data breaches and data leaks occur, organisations can be in breach of the GDPR / Data Protection Act by allowing sensitive information to be exposed to criminals or accessible to the public. This can leave the organisation open to investigation and a potential fine by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), as well as victims of the breach being able to make compensation claims for the loss of control of their personal information.
Being unprepared for cyberattacks can have a significant impact on companies when they suffer one, both financially and from any loss of customers due to damage to their reputation. It is in everyone’s best interests to be prepared for the threat of cyberattacks, particularly with the uptake of working and studying from home due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The importance of cybersecurity cannot be understated. For an organisation, it is the law to keep personal data safe and, to do this, they need to implement the correct measures. There are different ways organisations can do this, such as by investing in better, smarter security systems and equipment, and by training their employees on data security.
It is currently noticeably clear that the majority of organisations are unprepared for cyberattacks, and this is something that we all pay the price for.
What happened in the Virgin Media data breach?
The Virgin Media data breach affected over 900,000 people who had their personal information exposed online for a period of 10 months between April 2019 and 28th February 2020. The breach was detected by an independent security researcher called TurgenSec and Virgin Media put the breach down to an ‘incorrectly configured’ database resulting from employee error.
The online database was found to have been accessed by at least one unknown third-party during the 10 months it was available. The information accessed in this breach included full names, email addresses, telephone numbers and, in some cases, contract information. This can leave victims vulnerable to cybercrime and phishing scams and cold calls, hence the importance of raising cyberattacks and cybersecurity in light of this breach.
Start your Virgin Media data breach claim today
If you have been affected by the Virgin Media data breach, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim with us today.
We have launched a Virgin Media Group Action and are already representing a significant number of victims in this case – and we could help you next.
It has been estimated that victims of this breach could be eligible to claim up to £5,000 in compensation, depending on the case and the nature of the data breached.
Contact us today to start your data breach claim.
The content of this post/page was considered accurate at the time of the original posting and/or at the time of any posted revision. The content of this page may, therefore, be out of date. The information contained within this page does not constitute legal advice. Any reliance you place on the information contained within this page is done so at your own risk.
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First published by Author on December 14, 2020
This post was published in the following categories: Claim Compensation Virgin Media Compensation Action and tagged with Compensation | Group Action | Virgin Media data breach
