If you have a pension plan with Marks and Spencer or Diageo, your personal information may have been accessed by hackers. The problem arises because these companies entrusted Capita to manage their pensions, like many other private retirement schemes.
Capita reported that hackers breached their systems in late March 2023 and went undetected until the end of the month. During that time, the attackers managed to steal data from a small portion of their servers, including customer, supplier, or colleague information.
This is terrible news for Capita and companies like M&S and Diageo that relied on Capita to safeguard their data. Furthermore, over 100,000 pension holders are potentially affected by this security breach.
After that, what happened next?
Unfortunately, this was just the beginning. After Capita revealed the breach, the UK’s pension regulatory body also urged hundreds of pension funds to investigate if their client data was compromised.
Soon after, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the UK’s most extensive private sector pension plan, warned that approximately 470,000 of its members’ details might have been accessed during the Capita hack. The compromised information includes names, dates of birth, national insurance numbers, and USS member numbers.
USS stated that Capita could not confirm definitively if the hackers accessed the data, but it is advisable to assume they did.
Capita, a widely used service provider by the UK government, NHS, and various British organizations, now faces numerous client complaints.
Richard Block, Colchester City Council’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are incredibly disappointed and upset that such a severe and far-reaching data breach has occurred, and we are dealing with the matter head-on in partnership with Capita. Our primary concern is to reassure all residents that we are actively working with Capita to fully understand how this breach happened and what additional actions need to be taken.
We understand that this situation may cause worry and distress among residents, and we sincerely apologize on Capita’s behalf to those impacted. Safeguarding the privacy and security of our resident’s personal information is of utmost importance to us, and we are taking immediate and decisive steps to thoroughly investigate the incident and ensure that Capita improves its processes to prevent any future breaches.”
Other affected councils reportedly include Adur and Worthing, Coventry City Council, Derby City Council, Rochford District Council, and South Staffordshire. Capita has not disclosed whether they are willing to offer ransom to the hackers in hopes of preventing the data from being more widely released.
What’s in hand?
It is crucial for all parties involved to work together to investigate the breach thoroughly, understand its causes, and implement robust measures to safeguard privacy and security. Residents and individuals impacted by this breach deserve reassurance and support during this challenging time.
Moving forward, it is essential that Capita takes responsibility for the incident and works diligently to improve its processes and security protocols. Transparency, accountability and a commitment to protecting personal information must be the priority of every action.
As stakeholders, we must remain vigilant in the face of cyber threats and continue prioritizing the security and privacy of our data. By learning from this unfortunate event and implementing necessary precautions, we can strive for a safer digital environment for everyone involved.
PureVPN
May 23, 2023
12 months ago
