CYBER BREACH: Major Legal Aid Cyber Breach Exposes 2.1M Records Including Criminal Histories SME Cybersecurity | SMECYBERInsights.co.uk SME Cybersecurity

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CYBER BREACH: Major Legal Aid Cyber Breach Exposes 2.1M Records Including Criminal Histories

By: Ben Hedges – Staff Writer
SMECyberInsights.co.uk – First for SME Cybersecurity
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Following hard on the heels of a series of well publicised Cyber Attacks on high profile UK organisations including Co-op, Harrods, and Marks & Spencer – The UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed that it has suffered a major Cyber Breach.

Hackers are reported to have infiltrated the UK’s Legal Aid Agency (LAA), potentially accessing sensitive personal data of millions of legal aid applicants dating back 15 years. Cybercriminals claim to have accessed 2.1 million pieces of data, though the MoJ has yet to verify this figure.

The government discovered the incident on April 23rd but only realized its full extent last Friday [16^th. May 2025] suggesting the breach may be larger than initially assessed.

Data Compromised: The breach is believed to have exposed a significant amount of personal data including:

• Criminal records and history
• Contact details and addresses
• National Insurance numbers
• Dates of birth
• Employment status
• Financial information (contribution amounts, debts, payments)

Impact and Response

The Legal Aid Agency, which administers approximately £2.3 billion in legal aid funding annually, has been compromised across systems covering all applicants since 2010.

Immediate Actions Required:

• Anyone who applied for legal aid since 2010 should immediately update potentially exposed passwords
• Remain vigilant for suspicious messages and phone calls
• Monitor financial accounts for unusual activity

Context and Concerns

An MoJ source is quoted across the News wires saying that the Cyber Breach was attributed the breach to “neglect and mismanagement” of the previous government, revealing that LAA system vulnerabilities have been known for years but remained unaddressed.

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