Billions of exposed information harms victims

As the growth of digital consumerism continues, we are sharing our personal information with an increasing number of online retailers and companies, both in the public and private sectors. Often, disclosing such details can be a requirement of making online purchases and orders, and since it has become the norm, we think little of this disclosure. But with billions of exposed information records circulating online, disclosing your data to third parties can bring about security risks.

In fact, there is a huge network of cybercriminals seeking to take advantage of the aggregation of personal information by organisations and businesses alike. Within company databases and online payment systems there can, unfortunately, be vulnerabilities. Hackers may be able to exploit them in order to steal personal information.

Though cybercriminals bear responsibility for data theft and misuse, it is also up to data controllers to protect the personal information in their possession. As such, where they fail to do so, they can be responsible for a breach of data protection law. To account for this injustice, you could be eligible to make a data breach compensation claim now on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Billions of exposed information records online

Several reports and studies have previously suggested that there are, or have been, billions of exposed information records up for sale on the dark web. Previous cybersecurity research resulted in claims that over 15 billion usernames and password were being sold among cybercriminals. In some cases, the data records were being purchased for only a few pounds.

Data theft can occur on such as huge scale when it results from wide-reaching exposure that is provoked by businesses. These companies often have huge databases of customer information, and it only takes a small vulnerability for this data to be exposed in one hit.

As we often say, a defence is only as good as its weakest link.

What can victims do?

If your data can be found among the billions of exposed information records, it may be that a third-party company could be to blame. Any failings in data protection compliance could leave an organisation that exposed your data liable to pay compensation, enabling you to make a data breach claim on a No Win, No Fee basis.

As part of a claim, you could be eligible to recover compensation for any distress you have suffered from as a result of the data exposure, and for any financial losses that were caused if applicable. In cases where your information has been sold online, financial losses could take place, as it may be that data was bought for fraudulent misuse.

With regard to protecting yourself after a data breach, it is vital that you secure any affected accounts as soon as possible, updating passwords and cancelling credit and debit cards as required.

Start your compensation claim now

As advocates of data protection law, we believe that companies responsible for contributing to the billions of exposed information records should be held to account. By pursuing a data breach claim for the exposure of your information, you can help to account for this injustice.

The Data Breach Lawyers has a specialist data claims team that is currently representing victims for singular cases and in some of the most infamous group cases of all time. Group cases include British Airways, Equifax and Virgin Media data breach compensation claims.

To find out if you could be eligible for a No Win, No Fee claim, contact us today for free, no-obligation advice.