Hackers target personal data for criminal purposes

In this digital age, personal data has become a valuable commodity. It is often used for the legitimate commercial purposes of businesses, but it is also misused in criminal activity. Its worth means that hackers target personal data from many different sources, and by many different methods. The risks which we are exposed to as a consequence of data theft can be significant.

Unfortunately, companies often fail to properly secure the information that they hold, making it much easier for hackers to access. The failure to protect personal data sufficiently can often constitute as a breach of the GDPR, which enshrines each UK citizen’s right to have their data held securely.

Victims of the Virgin Media data breach can now claim in our group action to hold the company to account for exposing their personal information. If you were affected, you can register for your compensation claim today via our online sign-up form.

Hackers target personal data stored by businesses

When hackers target personal data stored by businesses, they can gain access to not only a huge quantity of data, but also to information that can be highly sensitive in nature. The customer information stored by businesses can include contact details, addresses, account usernames, and passwords, as well as payment card details. As such, victims who have their data exposed could be vulnerable to scam calls, phishing emails and payment card fraud, among other risks.

Given that they are prime targets for hackers, it is essential that businesses take their duty to protect customer information seriously. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In fact, in the case of the Virgin Media data breach, hackers would not have required a highly elaborate form of attack to obtain exposed data, as the affected database was left unsecured for a lengthy 10-month period, reportedly due to an employee’s failure to configure the database correctly. The security vulnerabilities of companies can, therefore, draw in cybercriminals. We know that there was an unknown third-party access event in the Virgin Media case, and it may well have been a criminal. We just don’t know.

Claiming for data theft

Hackers target personal data for all kinds of misuse, and although it can be very difficult to prevent these risks once your information has been exposed, it may be possible to claim compensation for any damage that you have suffered.

In our Virgin Media group action, eligible victims could be able to claim for their involvement in the breach. A case could be for any distress they have suffered, or for any financial losses or expenses that they may have incurred. This means that you could be eligible to claim even if you have not experienced any fraud or theft, because the law recognises that the emotional impact of a breach can be harmful.

Join our group action today

Your Lawyers is a specialist consumer action law firm with years of experience in data breach claims and group action lawsuits. We often win victims thousands of pounds for data breach claims, and we estimate that Virgin Media victims could also be entitled to significant compensation.

When hackers target personal data, the effects can be severe for the victims, so you have every right to claim compensation from the company involved if they are found to be liable.

To start your Virgin Media claim today, simply take a few minutes to register your details using one of our online sign-up forms.

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