More than one million people who requested legal assistance may be at risk of fraud after computer pirates stole data from claims that date back 15 years in a large cyber attack.
The Ministry of Justice admitted on Sunday that a devastating cyber attack last month was much worse than initially evaluated after the computer pirates revealed that they had stolen millions of pieces of sensitive information.
Judicial cases throughout the country will be affected after computer pirates forced the main system to manage legal assistance outside the attack.
The lawyers have blamed the ‘outdated’ IT system used by the Legal Aid Agency, since it arose that more than one million people could be at risk of fraud or extortion, including claimants and their lawyers who have submitted applications since 2010.
Stolen data include contact data and addresses of legal assistance applicants, their birth dates, national insurance numbers, criminal records, labor status and financial data, such as contribution amounts, debts and payments.
The bank details of lawyers paid for criminal and civil cases are also at risk.
The official figures show that around 85,500 certificates of legal assistance for criminal cases in the Crown Courts were issued, with another 940,000 for the magistrates courts only in the last year.
Also granted almost 109,000 civil claim certificates, with another 7,100 assigned for mediation schemes that exist outside the courts.
More than one million people who requested legal assistance can be at risk of fraud after computer pirates stole data from claims that date back 15 years in a large cyber attack
The authorities could not say exactly how many people had been affected yesterday, but confirmed that a «significant amount of personal data» had been downloaded during the April 23 attack.
Days later, on May 1, Daily Mail received information about a severe cyber attack that paralyzes the judicial system.
But the Ministry of Justice denied at that time that any attack of this type would have happened.
Yesterday, officials emphasized that they could not provide information because the objective of the attack was the legal assistance system, not the broader judicial system.
The system, which uses legal assistance suppliers to register their work and be paid by the Government, has remained offline.
Computer pirates claim to have accessed around 2.1 million data.
Ciaran Martin, former executive director of the National Cyber Security Center, said: «This is at the most serious end of data violations due to national insurance numbers, plus criminal records, plus financial transactions on benefits and the work state.»
‘That is very useful for scammers, criminals and extensors on the side of the criminal record. That is quite bad.
The Ministry of Justice admitted that a devastating cyber attack last month was much worse than it initially evaluated after the computer pirates revealed that they had stolen millions of confidential information.
Chris Minnoch, executive director of the Group of Legal Aid professionals, warned that the trick could interrupt live cases saying: ‘Legal assistance providers generally operate within the very tight or even non -existent financial margins … so the interruption of LaA processes is a serious problem. There is also the problem of how interruption will affect live procedures.
Richard Atkinson, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, a professional agency that represents lawyers, said: «It is extremely worrying that the members of the public have had their personal data committed in this cyber security incident and the LAA must control the situation immediately.»
«The incident once again demonstrates the need for a sustained investment to update the outdated IT system of the LAA and ensure that the public has continued confidence in the justice system.»
It is understood that the attack occurred when the MOJ has been working to replace the internal system with a new version that hoped to be in operation in the coming weeks.
The officials blamed «long years of negligence and poor management of the justice system under the last government» yesterday.
The executive director of the Legal Aid, Jane Harbottle, said: ‘I understand that this news will be shocking and annoying for people and I am very sorry that this happened.
‘Since the discovery of the attack, my team has been working 24 hours with the National Cyber Security Center to reinforce the safety of our systems so that we can continue safely the vital work of the agency.
‘However, it has been clear that, to safeguard the service and its users, we needed to take radical measures. That is why we have made the decision to take the service online.
It is the last severe cyber attack to affect the public sector and occurs after a series of retaile companies were attacked, including Marks & Spencer, CO-OP and Harrods
The United Kingdom cyber security agency warned that it is believed that «hostile national states» led by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are at the forefront of the malignant activity
It is the last serious cyber attack to affect the public sector and occurs after a series of retaile companies were attacked, including Marks & Spencer, CO-OP and Harrods.
An attack in June last year in Synnovis, a Pathology Laboratory of the NHS, interrupted patient attention in the hospitals in southern London and two Liverpool hospitals were affected by cyber attacks in December.
Transport for London had its systems paralyzed by an attack in September last year that cost dozens of millions of pounds.
The United Kingdom cyber security agency warned that it is believed that «hostile national states» led by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are at the forefront of the malignant line activity, along with groups that use ransomware to extort money.
Last week, Richard Horne, Executive Director of the National Cyber Security Center, said: «We have administered more than 200 incidents since September.» That includes double significant incidents nationwide as the same period a year ago.
(Tagstotranslate) Dailymail (T) News
