ForHousing and Liberty cyberattack causes data leak

ForHousing and Liberty have recently been subjected to a ransomware attack after ForViva, a social housing group that manages properties in the North West, was targeted. While the impact of the breach has not been fully revealed, it has been stated by the company executive that a small degree of information has been leaked as a result of the event.

Though the attack is said to have begun on 26^th July, the incident was first reported on 19^th August, at which point ForViva issued assurances that the majority of information had been kept safe. Nevertheless, the incident may have raised concerns among tenants, staff and clients of the company, as ransomware can be one of the most serious cyber threats a company can be subjected to.

Incidents like this need to be carefully assessed to get a sense of the damage. Where data has been compromised, those affected may be eligible to claim compensation as part of a data breach claim. If you have been told that your data has been compromised in the ForHousing cyberattack, you may be entitled to claim, so contact our team today for free, no-obligation advice.

The ForHousing and Liberty cyberattack

First noticed on 26^th July, the ForHousing and Liberty cyberattack has been described as a ransomware attack that occurred when hackers attempted to breach company systems. ForViva reportedly took action by taking the systems offline briefly, but the next day, system operations began to resume, so there was minimal disruption, it is understood.

In a statement on the ForHousing and Liberty incident, the chief executive of ForViva has ruled out any information exposure from ForHousing, stating that the group was able to assure tenants that information was safe. However, Liberty, which offers property services to a variety of third-party companies, had reportedly been the victim of data theft, although this has been described as “small”.

Security specialist raises concerns on data exposure

An alternative assessment of the situation was provided by a third-party threat analyst, who alleged that data exposed in the ForViva leak had been published on a dark web leak site.

This tactic can be common among ransomware hackers, who use publication as a bargaining chip to convince hacked companies to hand over ransom payments. There is no evidence to suggest that a ransom has been paid in the case of the ForHousing and Liberty cyberattack, but the housing group has not commented on the alleged dark web publication. If the data has been leaked in this way, it could be misused by cybercriminals for malicious purposes.

Claiming compensation as a data breach victim

As a data breach victim, you should not accept the harm you have been caused by any negligence of a third-party data controller, as you may in fact be eligible to claim compensation. When a data controller breaches data protection law, they can be held liable via a data breach claim.

Our specialist data protection team has been representing clients for privacy matters since 2014, developing wide-spanning expertise in this area of law. If your data has been compromised in a breach, you can contact us for free, no-obligation advice on your potential claim.