Capita Data Breach

Capita data hack – The first breach

In March 2023, it was reported that Capita had suffered a cyber-attack. In an announcement on their website, Capita claimed that from their investigations they found that the incident occurred following initial unauthorised access on or around 22 March 2023, which was interrupted by them on 31 March 2023. This cyber-attack was allegedly carried out by Russian hackers.

It is believed that around 90 organisations were impacted by the cyber-attack. This includes the Royal Mail, The NHS, AXA, The Universities Superannuation Scheme, The Ministry of Defence and The Royal Bank of Scotland, to name just a few. Capita administers the pension funds for many of these as well as several other major organisations. They’re technically a data processor, which means they process and hold the data of other companies, which often have thousands of employees.

The attack prompted the Pensions Regulator (TPR) to write to more than 300 pension funds, asking them to check whether their data had been stolen by the hackers. Several of them have confirmed that they were affected by this breach. Personal data, including names, addresses, dates of birth and National Insurance numbers, may have been accessed, as well as financial information and banking details.

In early July, it was reported that Capita had written to some of its own employees three months after the incident to inform them that their personal information had been identified among the stolen data. Among the data compromised includes dates of birth, marital status, email addresses, home addresses, salary details, employment details and employment history. The letter said that Capita was taking “extensive steps” to recover and secure the data and had hired a consultant to check it was not sold on the dark web.

Capita data breach – The second breach

A second breach was announced in May 2023 when it was reported that Capita had left benefits data files in publicly accessible storage. These files were found to have been left unprotected by passwords as far back as 2016. This prompted several councils to say they thought their data had been compromised. This was supposedly caused by an exposed Amazon S3 bucket, a popular cloud-based service that allows businesses to store data online.

If an S3 bucket is not properly configured, anyone can access it, which can lead to a huge data security threat. It was alleged that the S3 bucket used by Capita, which contained sensitive data, was left publicly accessible, allowing cybercriminals to steal the data within. The data accessed here allegedly included benefits data from local councils. This supposedly included names, addresses, dates of birth and National Insurance numbers.

The Capita data breaches could affect millions of UK pension holders, Capita employees, people on benefits, and more. If you have been affected by the Capita data breaches, you could be entitled to compensation. Get in touch with our team today to find out if you are eligible to make a claim for data breach compensation and to discuss the next steps.

We’re not yet aware of the full extent of the Capita data breaches. Britain’s data watchdog, The Information Commissioners Office (ICO), stated earlier this year that around 90 organisations reported breaches of personal information held by Capita. The attack also prompted the Pensions Regulator (TPR) to write to more than 300 pension funds to ask them to check whether data had been stolen by hackers.

The second breach is also said to have affected many local councils, with Colchester Council sharing its “extreme disappointment with Capita” after it found that benefits data from 2019-20 and 2020-21 were unsecured.

The following pension plans and local authorities may have been affected:

Pension schemes:

• The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS)
• Unilever pension scheme
• Marks and Spencer pension scheme
• PwC pension scheme
• Diageo pension scheme
• Rothesay pension scheme
• BAE systems

Local authorities:

• Adur and Worthing Councils
• Colchester Council
• Coventry City Council
• Derby City Council
• Rochford District Council
• South Staffordshire Council

Others:

• Capita employee data
• GP data

If you have received any correspondence from your pension regulator, local authority or Capita itself stating that your data may have been affected, you could be entitled to claim compensation. It’s important you take action if your data has been affected to protect yourself. This involves checking your bank account for any unusual activity, changing passwords if needed, and checking to see if any credit has been taken out in your name, which can be done through credit monitoring software such as Experian. Stay vigilant and be aware of phishing scams, fraud, and identity theft, as we often see victims of similar data breaches become the target of cybercriminals.

There have been two alleged data breaches on data held by Capita, and each one affects different people, organisations, and information. Below is a list of data that could have been breached:

This data includes:

• Names and titles
• Initials
• Dates of birth
• National insurance numbers
• Retirement dates
• Membership numbers
• Financial/bank details

If you suspect that your personal data could have been breached as part of the Capita data breaches or you have received correspondence notifying you of such, you can contact the organisation responsible for your personal information directly to get further information. You can also get in touch with our expert data breach solicitors to learn about possible next steps if you have evidence to show your personal data was involved in the Capita data breach.

Capita has denied any wrongdoing. However, a legal letter has been presented to Capita over the alleged breach, and this, coupled with the ICO investigation, suggests the allegations are serious and could lead to legal action.

The UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 outline the responsibilities of companies that store the personal data of individuals. They have the responsibility to store data safely and keep it protected from potential threats. If a company breaches your personal data or doesn’t adequately protect it against a cyber-attack, you have the legal right to claim compensation for the ordeal.

This claim includes compensation for any financial loss or material damages as a result of the breach, for example, if someone accesses your financial information or banking details and takes your money. You can also claim for distress or emotional damage caused by the breach, for example, the thought of your data being stolen and accessed by unauthorised individuals can be very stressful and cause anxiety.

The data potentially breached in the Capita data hack and Capita data breach, is very personal information that could be damaging in the hands of a criminal or threat actor. It can lead to issues such as identity theft and fraud or put you at risk of being targeted by scammers. Therefore, if you have been affected by the Capita data breach, you could be entitled to claim a significant amount of compensation.

HNK Solicitors has a team of specialist data breach solicitors who have years of experience working in the sector and fighting to gain compensation for those who have been the victim of a data breach. Our in-depth understanding of the relevant legal statutes and regulations ensures we can provide the best possible chance of you getting the compensation you deserve.

We offer free, no-obligation consultations to help you determine if you can pursue a claim. We also take on claims on a no-win, no-fee basis, so you don’t have to pay a penny upfront, and if your claim is unsuccessful, you don’t owe us anything.

If you would like to discuss a potential claim against Capita, get in touch with us today to find out more.