Tag: Virgin Media data breach
Be wary of fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees
If you are one of the 900,000 victims affected by the Virgin Media data breach, it is vital that you watch out for scams. You could be targeted by fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees who are attempting to successfully scam you with cold calls and phishing emails.
The Virgin Media data breach affected 900,000 victims, with the majority being broadband and landline customers and a smaller percentage being Virgin Mobile customers. The breach was discovered by an independent security researcher TurgenSec who then informed Virgin Media. The telecoms giant has since stated the breach was a result of an ‘incorrectly configured’ database.
If you have been affected by this data breach, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim today for the distress caused by the loss of control of your personal information. You could also claim for financial losses incurred as a result of the breach, or from scams from fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees if this has happened and it is linked directly to the breach event.
Companies are unprepared for cyberattacks
Recent high-profile data breaches like the Virgin Media data breach have highlighted how companies and organisations are unprepared for cyberattacks and preventing them from happening.
While the Virgin Media data breach did not arise from a cyberattack, and was due to information being left exposed, criminals use the same techniques security researchers do to find exposed information. As such, allowing so much information to be left exposed has led to victims being at risk of cyberattacks, and this shows a clear lack of preparedness.
It is vital that, in this digital age, organisations have adequate security measures and systems in place to prevent the inevitability of data breaches and hacks.
Are data breaches inevitable?
With the seemingly large amount of recent data breaches and cases of hackers accessing private information, you may be wondering: are data breaches inevitable?
This article will briefly explore exactly how preventable data breaches can be.
A recent example of a serious data breach is the Virgin Media Data breach which affected 900,000 victims. The victims had their personal data exposed online for a ten-month period between April 2019 and 28th February 2020, with at least one unknown third-party accessing the information during the breach period. This breach stemmed from an ‘incorrectly configured’ database as a result of employee error.
Considering this case, are data breaches inevitable when simple errors take place? The breach could have been prevented if the employee had correctly configured the database, so the answer appears to be a resounding yes.
Virgin Media data breach compensation amounts
Victims of the Virgin Media data breach could be eligible to claim up to £5,000 in data breach compensation amounts.
The Virgin Media breach is prime an example of a sizeable and well-respected company not taking data security seriously, in our view. The number of people involved in the breach is shocking, and the only way to hold Virgin Media to account is if victims claim compensation and hold the company to account for their actions. This is also the way in which victims can seek the justice that they deserve.
We are currently taking claims forward for victims of the Virgin Media data breach and are encouraging anyone affected to join our claim. We already represent a large number of victims and we are ready to help you. We have years of experience dealing with data breach claims and actions, and we have helped thousands of victims claim millions in damages across all of our multi-party and group action cases.
Virgin Media incident and how you can claim for a human error data breach
When an incident occurs, it is often termed as a “human error data breach”, and this term has been applied to the Virgin Media data leak uncovered earlier this year.
Human error data breaches occur regularly and can cause a great deal of harm, which is why they are important to highlight. It is vital to know that you can claim compensation for a human error data breach, and we will explain this here today.
Data breaches of any nature can be extremely serious, putting individuals at risk by exposing their highly sensitive personal data. The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) is in place to protect individual’s data and ensure organisations face serious consequences for causing a breach. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can investigate the circumstances of each breach and place fines on organisations, relevant to the seriousness of the breach.
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.
The dangers of ransomware attacks
Victims of the Virgin Media data breach should be vigilant about being targeted for ransomware attacks as a result of data exposed in the incident.
Ransomware attacks can have serious consequences for both individuals and companies. Hackers will often use ransomware to encrypt data in computer systems so the owners are unable to gain access to their own files and databases. The malicious software then usually displays a demand to the owners requesting a ransom fee be paid for them to regain access to their computer and files.
Data breaches can occur in a number of different ways, be it ransomware attacks directly targeting services and systems, an employee error that opens up a security flaw, or outdated systems. It could have happened as a result of the ‘incorrectly configured’ database issue that affected the Virgin Media data breach victims in the first place.
Make a data loss compensation claim for the Virgin Media data breach
If you have been affected by the Virgin Media data breach, you could be eligible to make a data loss compensation claim with us, Your Lawyers.
We have launched a Virgin Media Group Action claim, already representing a large number of victims of the data breach, and we are urging any other victims of the breach to come forward and join our claim now.
We have been fighting for justice for victims in data privacy actions and for data loss compensation claims since 2014. We have helped thousands of claimants recover millions in damages across a range of group actions and in individual legal cases. Our expert legal team is on hand to help you get the most out of your claim and access the justice that you deserve.
The GDPR and compensation claims for the Virgin Media data breach
Victims of the Virgin Media data breach are being urged to step forward and use the GDPR and compensation claims process before it is too late.
Your Lawyers has launched a Virgin Media Data Breach Group Action claim and is representing a large group of victims for the incident. We encourage anyone who has yet to sign-up for a legal case to join and use the GDPR and compensation claims process now to receive some form of justice for what they have endured.
The Virgin Media data breach stemmed from an ‘incorrectly configured’ database as a result of employee error, which left 900,000 victims’ data exposed online for a ten-month period. The data was made available between April 2019 and February 2020. After further investigation, it was found that the database had been accessed by an unknown third party at least once during this breach period.
Risks of reusing passwords can leave you vulnerable to cyberattacks
There are many risks of reusing passwords, all of which can make you more vulnerable to cyberattacks. When serious data breaches occur and your personal information is exposed, victims who reuse passwords can be at a greater at risk of being targeted by cybercriminals.
For example, with the Virgin Media data breach, names, email addresses, and telephone numbers have been exposed in the breached. With criminals potentially having access to this information, they may be able to hack into accounts or attempt email phishing scams, or cold call scams. This will usually be to get personal information from the victims so they can access more of their online accounts. In this case, the risks of reusing passwords could be extremely high, leaving people at high risk of fraudulent activity.
