Data breaches by universities are becoming ever more frequent. And considering the amount of personal data universities hold in relation to both their students and employees, they face an onerous responsibility in ensuring the safety and security of that data. Universities, like many other large organisations, have been the targets of cyber and phishing attacks [...]

Social services are under the control of local councils. They handle the highly personal information of some of the most vulnerable members of society. As such, they have a duty to keep such information safe, secure, and confidential. Any breach of this duty may be deeply distressing to those affected. Recently, there has been increased [...]

Sandicliffe Motor Group, a vehicle dealership with a total of 10 sites in Nottingham, Leicester and Loughborough has revealed details of a cyber-attack.  It has been reported that the incident may have affected “thousands” of staff and customers.   On becoming aware of the breach on 20 February this year Sandcliffe immediately launched an investigation [...]

JM Bullion, a leading online retailer of precious metals has revealed details of a significant data breach. The company which sells gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium was the victim of a cyber-attack in February of this year. On 6 July 2020, JM Bullion were notified regarding suspicious activity on their website and with the [...]

Flagship Group,  the housing association that owns some 31,000 homes in the East of England and employs 1,200 people, has suffered a data breach incident. In a statement Flagship said "Despite our quick action, there has been some data encryption and some personal customer and staff data has been compromised. We do not yet have [...]

Our Local Authorities aim to provide services and support to families and individuals through a range of different departments. Social Services is one such department and provides an essential support service to families in need. People working in the Social Services sector, have a duty to protect vulnerable adults and children. This is because these [...]

Airbnb has revealed details of a data breach on 24 September 2020 affecting hundreds of people. It has been reported that users of the holiday rental site may have had their personal data exposed to other users of the platform. The personal data included addresses, phone numbers and key access codes for the hosts’ properties. [...]

GMP has announced details of a data breach said to have affected thousands of people. It has been reported that the names and addresses of complainants, witnesses and informants have been shared online, including victims of sexual abuse, who have a legal right to anonymity. The incident occurred when personal data was uploaded as a [...]

The Ritz, one of London’s leading hotels has revealed details of a data breach in August 2020. An investigation is currently underway after guests were contacted over the telephone by fraudsters posing as staff. The guests were asked to disclose personal data and bank account details after being informed that their initial restaurant reservations had [...]

The Information Commissioner’s Officer has reported details of a fine to Digital Growth Experts Limited (DGEL).  The company received a fine of £60,000 as a consequence of sending nuisance communications during the outbreak of the pandemic. During the period 29 February 2020  – 30 April 2020, a total of 17,241 text messages were sent out, [...]