“The investigation into this incident has been ongoing and is a developing picture and those investigating have been working hard to identify the extent and associated risks. Over the course of the last week as you know, we have been taking our services offline overnight to allow Digital teams the opportunity to undertake remedial activity and had planned for services to be offline this weekend.
On Friday 16 May, we discovered the incident was far more extensive than originally understood, with the group behind it also having accessed a large amount of information relating to legal aid applicants. In response to this development we are urging all members of the public who have applied for legal aid since 2010 to safeguard themselves. It is recommended impacted individuals are alert for any suspicious activity such as unknown messages or phone calls and to be extra vigilant to update any potential exposed passwords. For further information on this incident we would ask that you read the statement which has been published on GOV.UK.
We are sorry that this information breach has occurred and for any impact it will have on both providers and their clients. As you are aware we are already committed to a significant programme of investment to strengthen our systems and will seeking to accelerate that where possible.”
