Risks of blackmail from a data breach

The risks of blackmail from data breaches can be a significant problem that people can face when information has been exposed, and has fallen into the hands of criminals.

Such events do happen, and they are commonly known as ransomware, which is where criminals will threaten to expose data unless a ransom demand is paid. This can cause significant distress for those who have been affected, and it may go on to cause losses and expenses if data is subsequently misused.

Blackmail events are one of the risks that could have been associated with the Virgin Media data leak. If you were affected by the Virgin Media information exposure event, you can find out if you are still in time to claim by completing a few forms on our website here now.

Huge risks of blackmail from a data breach

There can be huge risks of blackmail from a data breach taking place when criminals misuse the information that has been exposed to try to steal more data from you, or commit fraud and theft.

One of the common instances of blackmail from a data breach is known as ransomware, where criminals will hold information that they have stolen or gained access to and demand payment of a ransom on the threat of exposing the data. In many cases, the hackers may set the ransom demand at an amount they believe will be payable to try to increase the chances of their efforts being successful. In many cases, people and companies have settled the ransom demand in order to avoid the incredible reputational damage and costs that are associated with information exposure.

However, even if a ransom is paid, this does not mean that criminals will honour the agreement and, in some cases, they have gone on to expose data anyway. The official advice from authorities is to liaise with them and to not pay any ransom demands, but this can be easier said than done when there is a risk of significant data exposure.

Risks linked to the Virgin Media data leak

There are certainly risks of blackmail from a data breach where information has been left exposed online and has then been accessed by an unknown third party. This is relevant because this is exactly what happened in the Virgin Media data leak case where an incorrectly configured database was left exposed and accessible for a period of 10 months. During this period, the data was accessed, so whoever accessed it could now use that information to try to contact people and commit fraud or theft.

As we have outlined above, they could then demand a ransom in order to not misuse the information that they have gained access to. Whilst we are not yet aware of any events of blackmail or ransoms directly occurring from the Virgin Media data leak, it is always hard to know whether such an event has already happened, or may happen, in the future. Sometimes, criminals will sit on information that has been exposed for many years before actually acting on it, so the risks are always there.

Find out if you are still in time to claim now

Our Virgin Media data leak compensation action has been ongoing for a number of years now, and we represent thousands of people claiming damages on a No Win, No Fee basis with our leading team of expert data breach lawyers.

As we are at an advanced stage with cases, and because the data breach occurred several years ago, there are no guarantees for anybody who is starting to pursue a claim late. Depending on when you are reading this article may depend on whether you are still in time to claim, but the best thing to do is complete the forms on our website as soon as you possibly can here now. We can then vet the case and let you know if you are still in time to join our action.

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.