Malicious cyberattacks and data leaks

In the digital age, cybercriminals are constantly trying to take advantage of the huge online and cloud data stores used by many companies. Personal information is now a commodity for both legitimate businesses and malicious cybercriminals, with the latter often seeking to misuse data for financial gain. Data controllers must, therefore, defend against malicious cyberattacks on a regular basis, but many do not appear to be taking this threat seriously enough.

With the current climate of cybercrime as it is, it is unacceptable for companies to be negligent of their duties to protect personal data. In fact, in cases where data controllers fail to meet the mark, they may be liable for a breach of data protection law.

As specialist data protection lawyers, we firmly believe that we cannot afford to let companies off lightly in the wake of data breaches, or the problem of non-compliance may only exacerbate. We are, therefore, aiming to hold Virgin Media to account for its failure to protect personal data, as we believe that those affected are entitled to fair compensation for the harm caused even with the event not being a cyberattack but risking one taking place.

Malicious cyberattacks – a route to data misuse

For cybercriminals wishing to steal personal information, the prime targets can be the businesses and other large organisations that store such data in large quantities. Whether they are a retailer in possession of customer details, or a local council with huge stores of resident information, data controllers can represent a valuable resource to cybercriminals, and they can be vulnerable to malicious cyberattacks.

As cyber criminals continue to develop their skills and arsenal, one of the most powerful threats is currently ransomware. This can allow hackers to take control of entire systems, locking organisations out of their own infrastructure. In some cases, the hackers are able to not only  encrypt the data, but to steal it and expose it.

Cybercriminals taking advantage of vulnerabilities

In some cases, hackers don’t need targeted or coordinated attacks to steal data, instead taking advantage of existing vulnerabilities left open by companies. In the Virgin Media data breach, an unauthorised user was able to access personal data at least once, reportedly due to a failure involving a configuration deficiency that affected a marketing database.

Where companies allow data leaks to happen in this way, they can be held liable for a breach of data protection law. Companies are required to protect personal information to ensure cybercriminals cannot take advantage of it, which means victims of data breaches could be eligible to claim compensation for any harm caused when data controllers neglect their responsibilities.

Join the Virgin Media data breach group action

At Your Lawyers, we have been representing clients for privacy matters since 2014, and our expertise in data breach claims has allowed us to recover over £1m in damages for claimants to date. As we pursue huge group actions against major companies, such as British Airways and Equifax, we anticipate that we will recover thousands more in compensation for our clients.

If you were affected by the Virgin Media data breach, you can check your eligibility and sign up to claim via our online form today. We can offer No Win, No Fee representation to eligible claimants, so there should be nothing stopping you from making a claim.

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