Earlier this year, Southern Water revealed that some of its data had been breached. The security violation happened following an “illegal intrusion” into the company’s IT systems. In other words, a cyber-attack.
A statement from Southern Water states that:
- Some customers and current and former employees had their data stolen in this attack and are at risk.
- Affected individuals will be contacted and offered security advice.
- Enhanced Experian credit monitoring will be provided to help prevent the fraudulent misuse of the stolen personal information.
Data belonging to 5-10% of customers has been stolen in the cyber-attack. However, Southern Water provides essential water services to 2.5 million customers and wastewater services to more than 4.7 million customers, so this has the potential to be a far-reaching data breach.
The following information is believed to have been accessed by cybercriminals:
- Names
- Dates of Birth
- National insurance numbers
- Bank account details
- Reference numbers
Employee and past employee data may also have been compromised, including:
- HR documents
- Identity documents, such as passports, driving licenses and utility bills
This personal and financial information may have been stolen for sale on the dark web.
Our data protection lawyers are investigating this incident. If we believe poor security processes at Southern Water led to this data breach, we will launch a no-win, no-fee compensation claim.
Register below to receive updates on our investigation, and to find out if you can make a data breach compensation claim.