How Legal Aid Applicants May Have Been Affected By Cyber-Attack On The Legal Aid Agency
Following the cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s online digital services in April this year, the government has worked closely with the National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre, taking immediate action to bolster the security of the system and advise legal aid providers, such as Susan Howarth & Co. Solicitors that certain details may have been compromised.
Further to this, on Friday 16 May, the government discovered that the attack was more extensive than originally understood and that the group behind it had accessed a large amount of information relating to legal aid applicants.
It is believed the group has accessed and downloaded a significant amount of personal data from those who applied for legal aid through their digital service since 2010.
This data may have included contact details and addresses of applicants, their dates of birth, national ID numbers, criminal history, employment status and financial data such as contribution amounts, debts and payments.
Whilst an injunction has been put in place to prohibit sharing of this data (anyone who does so could be sent to prison), the government urges all members of the public who have applied for legal aid in this time period to take steps to safeguard themselves, recommending that you:
- are alert for any suspicious activity such as unknown messages or phone calls;
- are extra vigilant to update any potentially exposed passwords;
- verify the identity of anyone you are communicating with online or over the phone you before provide any information to them, if you are in doubt.
A Legal Aid Agency cyber-security incident GOV.UK page has been created to offer a dedicated space where you can find all the latest updates and details of contingency processes. This page will be updated regularly so please do check in there as helpful.
Further information on how to protect yourself from the impact of a data breach can be found on the NCSC website.
For any further guidance on this, please feel free to contact us on 01606 48777.