Officers at the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police are said to be on high alert following a serious data protection breach. To ensure they do not fall victim to further attacks, anyone affected by the police data breach should be vigilant.
We have seen victims of similar data breaches become the target of cybercriminals, with instances of phishing, fraud, and identity theft. Our data protection experts strongly advise anyone involved in this breach to be vigilant and take necessary precautions.
Our data breach lawyers are investigating this incident and has launched a group action claim to help victims from the Metropolitan Police claim compensation for this security incident. We are unable to register officers from other forces at this time.
What happened in the Metropolitan Police/GMP data breach?
The security breach involves the IT systems of a supplier. The hackers targeted Digital ID in Stockport, a company which makes warrant cards for forces across the UK. The breach became known when the cybercriminals sent a ransom demand to Digital ID.
According to GMP the breach “concerns policing organisations on a national scale”.
Worryingly, as well as names, ranks, photos and warrant numbers, we understand that some officers have also had their geolocation data breached.
There was a delay in notifying affected officers and staff
According to reports, it took The Metropolitan Police five days to alert its 47,000 officers about the breach. This hold up has left those affected at risk of further attacks as they did not realise their data was in the hands of criminals, and that they needed to be extra vigilant.
Commenting on the breach, Rick Prior, vice-chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said the potential leak “will cause colleagues incredible concern and anger”. He added that this was a “staggering security breach that should never have happened.”
Furthermore, assuming that the data was stolen at the same time, officers at GMP were not informed that they were involved in this attack for an additional two week.
Claim compensation for the Metropolitan Police data breach
We have launched a group action claim to help victims of this breach from the Metropolitan Police claim compensation for this security incident.
We have already seen significant interest in this action from affected police officers. Many are experiencing fear, anxiety and stress because of the violation. Some have had existing mental health conditions exacerbated. Not knowing how cybercriminals were able to access their sensitive details, or what they have done with this data, has caused our clients considerable upset – especially given the nature of their jobs.
If you have received notification of your involvement in this breach, please register below.