FAQs about the Southern Water data breach
Here are some of the questions we have been asked about our Southern Water data breach group action.
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:
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 customer information is believed to have been accessed by cybercriminals:
Employee and past employee data may also have been compromised, including:
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.
To ensure they do not fall victim to further attacks, anyone affected by the Southern Water data breach should be vigilant.
At KP Law, 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.
We may be able to claim compensation for any distress or financial losses experienced because of this breach.
REGISTER TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SOUTHERN WATER DATA BREACH.
Talk to our expert data breach lawyers today on 0151 459 5850
Here are some of the questions we have been asked about our Southern Water data breach group action.
Register to receive updates on our Southern Water data breach investigation and to find out if you can make a data breach compensation claim.
The security violation happened following an “illegal intrusion” into the company’s IT systems. In other words, a cyber-attack.
The following information is believed to have been accessed by cybercriminals:
Employee and past employee data may also have been compromised, such as:
This personal and financial information may have been stolen for sale on the dark web.
A statement from Southern Water says:
“On Monday 12 February 2024 we announced that data from a limited part of Southern Water’s server estate had been stolen and was at risk following an illegal intrusion into our IT systems. This arose from our ongoing investigation into suspicious activity, as detailed in our statement on 23 January 2024.
We are very sorry that this has happened.
We continue to work with our expert technical advisers to confirm whose data is at risk. Our initial assessment is that this is the case for some of our customers and current and former employees.
We have engaged leading independent cybersecurity experts to monitor the “dark web”. They continue to report to us that, since we were named on the cyber criminals’ site on 22 January 2024, they have found no new evidence of the data potentially involved in this cyber incident being published online. They will continue to carry out their checks for as long as is necessary.
We take data protection and information security very seriously and, in accordance with our regulatory obligations, we are making contact with anyone whose personal data may be at risk.
Based on our forensic investigations so far, which are ongoing, we are notifying in the order of 5 to 10 percent of our customer base to let them know that their personal data has been impacted. We are also notifying all of our current employees and some former employees.
These notifications include security advice, as well as guidance on recommended precautionary steps and details of the support we are offering them. This support includes enhanced Experian credit monitoring, free of charge, for the next 12 months. The service provides active monitoring which can detect and help prevent fraudulent misuse of personal information.
Throughout this process we have been working with Government, our regulators and the National Cyber Security Centre. We have also notified the police and the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Since the incident, our IT security teams have worked with independent incident response experts, using enhanced monitoring and protection tools to check actively for any suspicious activity on our IT estate. Southern Water’s operations and services to customers have not been impacted.
Further updates will be posted on our website and social media channels as we know more. Please be assured that if at any point we have reason to believe your data may be impacted, we will notify you, in line with our regulatory obligations.
If you have specific questions relating to the cyber incident then please call 0330 303 0025.”
Southern Water should be in touch to notify affected individuals.
Anyone who thinks they might be involved should take immediate steps to protect themselves. Find out how to do this here.
If you receive notification that you are affected by the data breach, register to receive updates on our investigation. We’ll let you know what’s happening, and if and when you can make a no-win, no-fee data breach compensation claim.
A group action claim is where a group of people – sometimes even thousands of people – have been affected by the same issue. Group action cases are also known as class actions, multi-claimant, or multi-party actions.
If we do launch a group action, there are no costs to join a claim. However, if your claim is successful, you may have to pay a ‘success fee’. This fee is taken from the compensation awarded to you. At KP Law, our success fee is competitive, and we make sure you are fully informed about any potential costs before you officially join our action. If you lose, you won’t have to pay a penny.
We are one of the most experienced multi-claimant law firms in the UK.
Our GDPR, data breach and cybercrime specialists have a combined experience of over 50 years.
We represent clients in group actions with innovation, resources, and expertise.
We work with expert barristers to ensure you get the very best level of legal support available.
We have all the resources and global expertise necessary to take on complicated cases and win.
We have offices in London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham, and the technology to provide a nationwide service to clients across England & Wales.
We use technology to deliver a better legal experience to our clients.
We work on a no-win, no-fee basis.
We make the process straightforward and hassle-free.
While each case is judged on its own merits, there are some things we would typically look for when it comes to when claiming compensation following a data breach, cybercrime or other GDPR violation:
With stolen data, cybercriminals can make purchases using your bank and credit cards, apply for credit in your name, set up fraudulent bank accounts and access your existing online accounts.
GDPR failures, cybercrime and data breaches can have a significant impact on you, both mentally and physically. They can cause or exacerbate anxiety, stress and other psychological conditions.
KP Law has some of the most skilled data breach lawyers in England and Wales. Here are just some of our success stories.
KP Law is a founding member of the Collective Redress Lawyers Association (CORLA). CORLA aims to improve access to justice for claimants by way of collective redress.