Capita faces first legal letter over alleged data breach.
Capita, a UK-based IT services company, has been served with its first legal letter over an alleged data breach that could have affected up to 9.5 million people. The letter, sent by Barings Law on behalf of a group of affected individuals, alleges that Capita failed to adequately protect the personal data of its customers, which could have led to the data being stolen by criminals.
The data breach is said to have occurred between January and March 2023. It could have affected customers of many businesses using Capita’s services, including the Department for Work and Pensions, the NHS, and the Ministry of Justice. The data that was allegedly stolen could include names, addresses, dates of birth, and National Insurance numbers.
Capita denied wrongdoing and said it is “confident that our customers’ data are safe and secure.” However, the company has said it is “cooperating fully” with the investigation.
The legal letter is the first sign of potential legal action against Capita over the alleged data breach. If the case goes to court, it could set a precedent for other cases involving data breaches by large companies.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator, is investigating the alleged data breach. The ICO can fine companies up to £4 million for data breaches.
The alleged data breach by Capita is a severe incident that could significantly impact the company and its customers. It is important to note that the allegations have not been proven, and Capita has denied any wrongdoing. However, the legal letter and the ICO investigation suggest the allegations are serious and could lead to legal action.
What caused the Capita data breach?
An exposed Amazon S3 bucket potentially caused the data breach at Capita. Amazon S3 is a popular cloud-based service that allows businesses to store data online. However, if an S3 bucket is not correctly configured, anyone can access it, including threat actors.
It is alleged in the case of the Capita data breach, an S3 bucket containing sensitive data was left publicly accessible, which allowed cybercriminals to steal the data, which included names, addresses, dates of birth, and National Insurance numbers.
The Capita data breach is just one example of the many data breaches that misconfigurations in cloud-based services have caused. Organisations must protect their data and take steps to configure their cloud-based services appropriately, reviewing their configurations regularly.
What can be done to deter future breaches?
There are many things that businesses can do to deter future data breaches, including:
- Properly configure cloud-based services: When using cloud-based services, it is important to properly configure them to ensure that only authorised users can access the data.
- Regularly review cloud-based service configurations: Businesses should periodically review the configurations of their cloud-based services to ensure that unauthorised users have not changed them.
- Implement robust cybersecurity measures: Businesses should implement strong cybersecurity measures, such as advanced threat detection and response capabilities, regular security assessments, employee training, and collaboration with industry peers and law enforcement agencies.
By taking these steps, organisations can help to protect their data from threat actors.
What is the Impact of the Capita data breach?
The Capita data breach has significantly impacted the company and its customers. The breach has led to the loss of sensitive data, which threat actors could use to commit identity theft or other crimes.
The breach has also damaged Capita’s reputation and led to this legal letter from affected customers.
The Capita data breach is a reminder of the importance of data security. Organisations need to take steps to protect their data from threat actors.
By following the tips outlined above, companies can help to protect their data and prevent future data breaches.
For a thorough cyber resilience threat and risk analysis, contact us; we’re here to help!
