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.

Hackers selling stolen records can profit in various ways

There are various ways in which hackers selling stolen records can profit from the exposed information. Firstly, hackers can sell personal information to other criminals or on the black-market dark web. Recently stolen data can be most valuable, and with access to a large amount of data, such as the 900,000 Virgin Media victims, the hackers could make a large profit.

Another way they could benefit off stolen records is to use ransomware and encrypt personal data files, rendering them inaccessible, in order to get the owner of the data to pay a large sum of money.

If payment information is stolen, hackers can use that information to purchase items themselves or sell the credit card information on. Hackers selling stolen records could make a huge sum of money from their activities, whichever way they choose to do so. this is why victims of data breaches and cyberattacks must be vigilant, and why they can be eligible to make a data breach compensation claim.

What you can claim for if your records are stolen

If your data has been exposed as part of a breach, meaning there is a risk of hackers selling stolen records for you, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim today. Depending on the nature of the data exposed in the breach, who the data has been exposed to, and how badly the data breach has affected the victim, can depend on if there is a case to make.

When valuing claims we can look at General Damages, which cover any distress, suffering and loss of amenity caused by the loss of control of your personal data. Secondly, we can also look at Special Damages which can include any financial losses and expenses incurred as a result of the data breach.

Claim for the Virgin Media data breach

If you have been affected by the Virgin Media data breach, you can start a claim with us here today. We are currently representing a large number of clients for our Virgin Media Data Breach Group Action, and we are urging any others affected to join the claim as soon as possible.

Our lawyers can represent eligible victims on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Start your claim with us today.

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