Employee error and data breaches

Despite the fact that major cyberattacks are often at the centre of data security headlines, a huge number of data breaches arise from human error, either directly or indirectly. In the case of data breaches in business settings, many incidents can be provoked by employee error. In the worst cases, mistakes made by employees could undermine the security of entire systems.

In the Virgin Media data breach, a security failing was responsible for the exposure of 900,000 UK consumers’ personal data, leaving them vulnerable to data misuse. In our view, the data breach cannot be blamed on a single employee, and the company as whole must bear the blame for the cybersecurity incident.

It is with this belief that we have pursued a group action against Virgin Media, aiming to hold the company to account for breaching data protection law. With our unique insight as a specialist data breach and group action firm, we want to give all those affected a chance to claim the compensation they deserve, so sign up online today to join the fight for justice.

Employee error in the Virgin Media data breach

In the Virgin Media data breach, a marketing database was left unsecured for a ten-month period, leaving the information within it vulnerable to unauthorised access.

While Virgin Media claimed that an employee had “incorrectly configured” the database, the breach is not as simple as an individual employee error. There may have been multiple staff members responsible for monitoring the database and ensuring it was secure, so the incident could not have been the fault of one employee alone.

More importantly, the fact that the database was unsecured for ten months raises a number of concerns about data protection across the whole of Virgin Media. We question whether the company had sufficient procedures and tools in place in terms of monitoring their databases and detecting any vulnerabilities, including any employee error in question.

Making a compensation claim

On the basis of Virgin Media’s error, we believe that all those affected by the data breach may be able to make compensation claims. Compensation pay-outs could take account of any distress provoked by the data breach, such as stress or anxiety, and they may around in the £5,000 mark.

In addition, under the Special Damages section of your claim, you could be eligible to recover compensation for any financial losses or expenses resulting from the data breach. For example, those affected had their email addresses exposed, so they may have been targeted with fraudulent messages by cybercriminals looking to steal more details from them.

Any losses like this can be recovered as part of your claim.

Join the Virgin Media group action today

No one deserves to fall victim to data exposure, whether it was provoked by a cyberattack or an employee error. The injustice of data breaches cannot be easily undone, but by joining our Virgin Media group action, victims can have a chance to hold Virgin Media to account, whilst also fighting to win the compensation they deserve.

We are offering No Win, No Fee representation to anyone who is eligible to join. With our years of experience in privacy matters and group litigation, we have the expertise to bring your claim to fruition.

Sign-up for a claim for compensation here today.

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